Meeting Fate
by ChildDevil04
Summary: The sequel to Learning the Truth. Tommy now knows Kim's secret, the question is: What will he do about it? post DT. TommyKim
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers. Never have and never will. How sad and pathetic. But there you have it. The only thing I own here is the plot and those characters you don't recognize, i.e. the twins.

A/N: This is the sequel to Learning the Truth. If you haven't read that I really recommend you do so because this picks up immediately where that one leaves off. If you did read it then well welcome back to this, the sequel. I hope that this will satisfy any longings you still had after the previous work. This is not yet finished but the next two chapters are done so you got at least that to look forward to and I'm in the process of chapter 4. I'm not sure how long it'll take me to finish or how long it will be ultimately but I hope to be able to keep up with the updates since I'm already a bit ahead. So with no further ado I give you Meeting Fate.

As I watched Kim on the phone I struggled to get my raging emotions under control. Now that she'd done it I was glad she'd answered that phone. We were moving way to fast considering what she'd just told me and the fact that we haven't seen each other in 10 years. I mean, don't get me wrong, I would have loved to finish what we had started, I was so damn hard I hurt, but we would likely have regretted jumping right back into a physical relationship like that. Hell, I can see Kim pulling the slightest bit away from me just because of how far we did go, which I hadn't intended in the slightest when I'd kissed her, I just meant to make it short and sweet, but if we'd actually gone all the way I don't want to think about how far she'd run.

But damn, it felt good to hold her again. I've dated my fair share of women over the last 10 years and I've even slept with a couple of them, but no woman ever felt that good, that right, in my arms. I cared for those women but they were more a warm body to help satiate a bodily urge then anything else, especially when compared to Kim. But this, this was right and perfect. Having Kim in my arms again was like coming home, just holding her for the rest of our lives would be enough for me.

She hung up the phone and invited me to dinner and all the calm I'd managed to gather was shattered. I mean sure I wanted to meet my daughters, and just how great is that, my daughters, but at the same time I was terrified. More so then I ere was while serving as a Ranger. That was life or death, this is just life. And I just found out about them. I'm not at all sure I'm ready to meet them just yet. But then Kim got that look on her face and I gave in. I can't stand that "I really wish you would do this but I understand why you won't" look. I hate it almost as much as I hate it when she cries. Tears are a bad, bad thing. What in the hell are you supposed to do with a crying woman? But I'm getting off topic.

I found myself trapped into dinner because I absolutely cannot tell this woman no. Especially not when it involves things that make her as happy as this does. And when I corrected her when she said my daughters and I told her they were our daughters her smile could have eclipsed the sun. And I was once more struck with surprise that I managed to survive 10 years without this woman in my life. But I was still panicked and I really needed some time to myself before I would be ready to meet my girls. I didn't want to not remember our first meeting because I was so confused. I needed a chance to clear my head. So while Kim locked up I snuck a glance at my watch, saw it was only 4:30 and quickly came up with an idea.

"Do you want to follow me?" She asked, startling me out of my planning and forcing me to put it into effect before I'd fully thought it through.

I swallowed a bit and decided to wing it. "Why don't you give me your address and I'll meet you there in like an hour." I was praying she wouldn't ask why and to my surprise she didn't. But the fact that she didn't emphasized how much we needed to get to know each other again. The old Kim would have demanded to know my reasons and then probably would have tried to get me to do it her way anyway. The new Kim agreed, gave me her address and a kiss on the cheek and then was gone, leaving me standing there gaping after her like an idiot before climbing into my jeep.

I didn't really think about where I was going I just turned the engine on and pointed the car and drove. While I did so I thought back on everything that had happened over the last few hours. With part of my attention on the road I turned the rest of it to sorting through my feelings.

First there was a lot of anger. When she'd told me that those little girls were mine I'd been shocked, elated, and then very angry. The anger had overwhelmed every other feeling it was so intense. She knew how much I wanted a family of my own but she kept it from me for 10 years. I missed so much in the lives of my children. I'd wanted nothing more then to put my fist through a wall and only by testing the very limits of the self-restraint that had been built over the last 10 years had I been able to stop myself. 5 years ago, hell 2 years ago I don't think I would have been able to stop myself, but a year of high schoolers in general and Conner in particular had helped me to develop a patience and self-restraint I hadn't had before.

That patience and self-restraint is what kept me from screaming, punching or doing anything else remotely rage releasing. It let me listen to what she had to say and while not all of it made sense to me some of it most definitely did. Not one of the enemies I'd ever faced as a Ranger would have scrupled over using children to get to me, especially not my own children. They would have been considered fair game and for that reason alone I could see why she'd kept them a secret from me at first, and to an extent made me glad I hadn't known when we faced Mesogog as well. After all, Mesogog was Anton Mercer and Anton was my friend. If I'd known he would have and then so would Mesogog and Mesogog would definitely have used them against me. And if he hadn't Zeltrax sure as hell would have.

But that's hindsight speaking, and as they say it's 20-20. No one could have known, eight years ago, that I would wind up being an active Ranger again. Most especially not one with enemies that were personal from the get-go. Though I do seem to attract the ones that want nothing more then to kill Tommy Oliver. I think I've had the most people specifically after me. Why is that? But that's off topic.

I'm still mad at Kim because she didn't tell me about the twins, but like I said the past is over and done with. I know about them now and I will not be kept out of their lives. And if I get my way I won't be kept out of their mother's life either.

Once you get past the anger I'm also very surprised. I have the family I've always wanted. Being adopted always made me want a lot of my own kids, a lot of blood kin, and I have that now. Maybe not lots but I have two little girls that are mine. They share something with me that not even my parents share with me. That not only surprised me but it also thrills me to death.

I'm ecstatic. And I'm scared. I know how to fight evil, I better, I've been doing it for half my life. And I know how to dig up dinosaurs that died ages ago. And I know how to keep control of a classroom full of teenagers and pummel some information into their resisting brains. But I haven't the faintest idea how to be a father. I'm terrified that I'll screw up some how and they'll hate me forever.

It's odd. I've not even met them yet, I've known of their existence for a very short time and I already love those little girls. I'm already thinking in terms of us and I'm already experiencing those fears my dad told me every father has. It comes so easy apparently, worrying about your children. 3 hours. That's how long I've known I'm a father and already I worry about them. Already I think of them first.

My mind gradually cleared, the emotions sorting themselves out, and I glanced at the clock to see I still had a bit of time before I needed to be at Kim's house. Looking at the road I realized I was coming upon my house and slowing my speed drastically I made the turn, spewing gravel as I did so, swaying the jeep dangerously, but I made it. I didn't want to show up for dinner empty-handed and if memory served me correctly, and hopefully for once it did, I had two bottles of a very nice red whine in the kitchen. And in a box in my closet I had a something for Kim. I'd bought it for her as a just because gift two days before I got the letter and I'd never been able to bring myself to get rid of it. Just like I could never bring myself to get rid of anything from her, or that reminded me of her, or anything like that. It had all been packed away into 2 or 3 boxes but it had never been thrown away.

10 minutes, several curses, one banged head and couple of discoveries later I was ready to go. For better or worse I was ready. It was time to meet my daughters.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Okay so it's finally here. He finally gets to meet his kids. And yes, I swear, it really does happen in this chapter. And just to let you know, I've got a tentative outline for the rest of the story. It should be about 10 chapters all together. I've finished up to chapter 5 and I'm working on 6 right now. Just an FYI.

After I pulled up behind Kira's yellow mustang and cut the engine to my jeep I had to sit for a moment and regroup. There's very little I'm afraid of but the idea of meeting two little girls was frightening. Maybe it's because they're not just any little girls but my daughters, maybe it was because Kira had already met them and who knows what she'd told them about me, I don't know the reason but I was frightened.

Steeling my courage I gathered up my gifts and headed for the door. Before I knocked I listened to the chaos I could hear on the other side. It sounded good. It sounded like family. My family. That thought was enough and raising my hand I knocked on the door. Just when I thought my knock had gone unheard in the noised within and was moving my hand to try again the door opened and I found myself face to bruised face with the one person I hadn't made amends with yet, Jason.

Sure we'd talked earlier. Sort of. More along the lines of me saying can you not go back inside I want to talk to Kim and him saying sure. But we hadn't talked about the night before. I hadn't apologized for beating the hell out of him with pretty much no provocation. Just because Kim had always been a sensitive subject with me was no reason to bet the hell out of him. Okay, maybe in this case it was, but I still needed to apologize.

Before I could so Kim appeared, brushed him aside and dragged me into the house. She looked a little harried as she dragged me past the living room before I could see more then the top of Kira's head and into the kitchen.

"Do you want a drink first?" She asked, hunting for something. "Cause I could use one. Why didn't you come with me when I was ready so I wouldn't get so damn nervous?"

I grabbed her hands and pulled her into my body. "It'll be okay." I pointed to the bottle I'd set down in order to grab her. "I brought some wine if you really want a drink but I don't think we'll need one." I leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to her lips, oddly calmed by her nerves. "It really will be fine."

"How do you know that?"

"Faith. And knowledge that I wouldn't let it be any other way. I know I'm stubborn and I'm more then willing to apply that stubbornness to this. Maybe they won't be thrilled at first but I'll win them over and I won't stop trying until I do."

She pulled back a little and looked up at me. "I thought you were worried about doing this" she said in a very accusatory fashion. "Now you're abandoning me to worry all by myself."

"I was. But then I drove and I thought about it and while I'm scared to death that they'll hate me I don't want to put if off until tomorrow. I've already missed 10 years of their lives; I don't want to miss anymore. I'm ready to do this."

"Well you might be but I'm not." She opened the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of beer, which she took several long, fortifying gulps of. While she was steeling herself with her bottle of liquid courage, nice courage I noted in the back of my mind, a bottle of Guinness Extra Stout, I picked up the other items on the table. Slipping two frames into the pocket of my sports coat I went back to her with the last object in hand. When she looked at me, questions in her eyes, I pressed the box into her hands.

"I bought this for you 10 years ago. Two days before I got your letter actually. I want you to have it now, even if it is a little late. But don't open it now" I added as she started to take the top off the box. "I want to meet my daughters now. You can open it later." She looked puzzled but I was determined and so she acquiesced.

We stepped to the entryway to the living room and Kim started to say something but I stopped her, wanting a chance to study the girls before suffering their return perusal. They stood side by side in front of Kira, telling her some sort of outlandish take about a dragon and while they had their backs to us I was still a little shocked at actually seeing them standing there. They weren't the same height, one looked like she had my build, tall and, at that age, lanky, while the other had Kim's more petite build. They both had curly brown hair but the taller girls looked like it had streaks of red running through it while the shorter had streaks of blonde.

Kira looked up at that moment and before I could stop her she was greeting me. This got both of the girls to turn around and my first full look at them was like a punch to the stomach. There was no denying that these girls were my daughters. They both had my eyes, in color as well as shape. The shorter had a face that reminded me a lot of Kim with a bit of myself thrown in but the other, the other was like looking in a mirror. Her face, while still in a more androgynous childhood form, looked like a more feminine version of my own.

She was apparently as stunned as I was to see her face in another body and stood there speechless. The shorter apparently had inherited her mother's ability to attach herself to people quickly as well and after taking a look at me and then at her sister ran across the room and attached herself to my legs. She didn't say anything, just clung tightly.

"Mommy?" The other started. "Is that . . . " words apparently failed her but Kim knew what she wanted to say.

"Yes Tay it is. This is Tommy, this is your dad."

Just hearing that word made this little bubble of happiness expand in my chest. It expanded even further when Tay flung herself across the room and into the arms I'd hastily stretched out to keep her from hitting her sister who was still attached to my legs. She gave me one of the biggest hugs I've ever gotten in my life before leaving one arm around my neck and wrapping her legs around my waist. She was heavy but I didn't care one bit. I would have held her all night I was so happy to finally get a chance to hold my girls.

Kim, however, was having none of this. Gently but firmly she detached both of the girls and took a step back so they were lined up in front of me, Kim in the middle and a child on either side. "This is Taylor Aisha Oliver," she said, indicating the girl she'd called "Tay," the taller twin with red-brown hair and my face. "And this is Amanda Trini Oliver" she added, indicating the brown-blonde shorter half of the duo. "Tay's you all over, down to the whole martial arts is my life blood bit while Mandy takes after me in a lot of ways. She's good at gymnastics but she prefers sports, teams sports not solo sports."

"I play field hockey," she offered in a quiet voice. "But I like softball more."

"Football rocks!" Taylor crowed, oblivious to the fact that she'd cut her sister off. "Do you like football daddy?"

It took me a minute to regain my breath after hearing the easy way this girl accepted me, the easy way she called me daddy. Finally though I was able to answer her question. "Yes, I do like football . . ." Before I could add that I also liked baseball I was interrupted.

"Who's your favorite team?"

"Seahawks" I answered without thinking.

Taylor squealed. Literally. A more girly noise I'd not heard in quite some time and it seemed surprising coming from the girl that had struck me as the more tomboyish of the two despite her sisters propensity for field hockey. Kim also looked like it had caught her off guard but we both shrugged it off and continued with what we were doing.

By the time Jason told us all that dinner was ready Taylor had managed to completely monopolize my attention and had Amanda feeling very left out. This continued at dinner when she dragged me to one side leaving Kira to sit with Amanda on the other side and Jason and Kim on the ends. This proved conducive to her "chatter his ear off" tactic and she did just that, monopolizing my attention to the point that I talked to no one else. Kira noticed that Amanda was feeling left out and did her best to cheer her up but she wasn't very successful. Amanda wanted some of her dad's attention and I wanted to give it to her but I didn't want to upset Taylor either. It was obviously going to be a fine juggling act that I would have to learn to balance.

After dinner Kim upset her by informing Taylor it was her turn to do the dishes and I finally got my chance to spend some time with Amanda. Or so I thought. We talked for a few moments and then I remembered the frames I'd stuck in my pocket earlier. I pulled them out and offered them to Amanda. She took them and I saw her eyes light up when she saw the pictures they contained. One was a picture of the gang and I taken at a martial arts tournament not long after I joined the team and the other was taken by my mom at one of our random get togethers. She'd caught the group of us crammed onto a sofa watching something on TV, knowing us it was probably a movie.

"Pick one," I offered. "One's for you and the others for your sister. You get to pick which one you want." Before she could choose Taylor came racing over and after a quick glance grabbed the one taken at my house.

"I want this one," she said, holding it tightly.

"You're sister gets to pick" I said before turning to Amanda. "Which one did you want sweetheart?"

I saw the shadow of what looked liked longing in her eyes before she answered. "No, I like this one."

Before I could press her Taylor had climbed into my lap chattering about something and when I looked up after settling her so there was enough room for both girls to sit on my lap Amanda had disappeared.


	3. Chapter 3

As I lay in bed that night thinking about this first meeting with my girls I was struck by the differences in their personalities. Taylor looked like me but it appeared she'd gotten Kim's outgoing personality while Amanda had gotten my more withdrawn nature. But there was an almost desperateness to Taylor's outgoing displays of affection that made me wonder if she really was like that or if she was so desperate for my approval that she was trying to make herself more like Kim.

But it was Amanda that really worried me. She was so withdrawn, at least with me that I had no idea how to cope. She seemed quite the charmer with Kira, I'd been watching her across the table and when she forgot that I was there talking to Taylor she grew bright and cheerful, and then she'd see her twin and I deep in "conversation" and she'd become silent and withdrawn again. And, while I now knew almost everything there was to know about Taylor, I knew next to nothing about Amanda. And I really had no idea how to draw her out.

My thoughts about how to draw the daughter out led me, gradually, to her mother until it was Kim that dominated my thoughts and not Amanda. Though I'd come to terms with what she'd done I still wasn't sure how to proceed. I wanted to spend time with my girls, I wanted to be their daddy, but I wasn't sure about the family thing.

I still love Kim, that's a given, but I have no idea about her, if she still loves me. I mean she said she did, well sort of, but I'm just not sure. And can I trust her anymore? Trust is so vital to a relationship that I don't want to pursue something if I won't ever be able to trust her again. But trust can be rebuilt, eventually. And if she still loves me is it enough? Our complete love and, at least on my part, trust in one another wasn't enough last time. Could it work between us now, 10 years later, if we only had love and didn't have trust?

And she was pulling away from me. The afternoon had been great, really unexpected but great. Well, not the being broadsided with the news that I was a dad and had been for 10 years part, but the really intense make-out part. It was really obvious that the chemistry was still there between us. She still has the power to remove my self-control without any real effort on her part. But this evening, after she introduced me to the girls she started pulling away. Hell even before then she was pulling away. And if she's pulling away from me how am I supposed to win her back? And if I can't win her back then how are we supposed to be a family?

But that's what I want for my girls. I want them to know the safety and security of a loving family that consists of a whole home unit, not a broken one. And I'm sure Kim agrees with me. Her parents are divorced; she knows the stress of a broken home first hand. It may have worked for them up till now but that was before I knew. Now, however, I know and I'll be damned if I'm going to be an absentee daddy any longer. I will be there for every birthday, every holiday, every milestone no matter how minor and if Kim and I can't find a way to settle this that will be really stressful for the girls. And I don't want that for them.

But I want to make a relationship between Kim and I work for more reasons then that. No other woman has ever had the power to affect me the way she does. But it's more then that. I've never loved another woman the way I love Kim. Probably because she still owns my heart. It's hard to fall in love with a woman when another owns your entire heart. I have a protective nature but I've never longed to protect a woman they way I want to protect Kim. I want to lock her in a safe place and keep her there but at the same time, knowing she doesn't want that, I'm ready to stand beside her and watch over her as she takes on the world. I always wanted to keep Kim out of fights when we served together as Rangers but I never did, because I knew she could take care of herself, especially with me there watching over her. And I never even had that desire with Kat. Kim was special in so many ways. There are so many things I've only ever felt in regards to her. There was a bit of jealousy with each of my girlfriends but nothing like with Kim. And she's the only one I've ever given a nickname.

I want her. I want her by my side forever. I want to marry her, to be able to say she's my wife. I want to have more kids with her. I want to see these children through every stage of their lives and I want to finish raising Amanda and Taylor with her in the joint adventure it should have been from the beginning. And this afternoon I thought that was what she wanted to but now . . . Now I'm not sure anymore. But I won't just let her go this time. This time I will fight for what I want if necessary. She won't get away this time. Not without a fight. And even then she'll never fully escape me. I won't give up on our girls and I won't give up on us.

A.N. I know that this chapter is really short. I'm sorry. The next two are much longer, swear. They're longer then the first two were. This just didn't really fit at the end of the last chapter or the beginning of the next. It had to stand alone. In other news my thesis deadlines are coming up and instead of a full rough draft I have like 3 pages, it's supposed to be 20 and this is due in like 20 days. Not good. But I have 4-6 finished and 7 started so this shouldn't affect you guys too much. But if it does I ask now for patience.


	4. Chapter 4

A.N: As promised this one is much longer. It's hands down the longest one so far. Thank God it was already finished, my thesis has consumed my life so otherwise you would have all be very disappointed. But I'd planned ahead, go me, and so here's chapter 4 for your viewing pleasure.

The next day I got my opportunity to talk to Jason. Just as Taylor had monopolized me the night before so had Kim monopolized him. I didn't get a close enough to him to exchange more then a few words all night and none of them were the words that needed to be said. None of them were the apology I most definitely owed him. A very multifaceted apology since I'd found out so much else. And it gave me a chance to talk to him about Kim as well.

It came about in a seemingly random manner. School had been out the last few days for some sort of teacher conference I begged out of. But I hadn't taken advantage of that opportunity to get to the truckload of work sitting on my desk. Thus it was that I found myself at Reefside High on a Saturday morning. Around noon I rolled my neck, glanced at the work I still had to do and decided to go for a run to clear my mind before I tried to grade the next batch of tests and papers.

I changed and left the building, waving to the other unfortunates who hadn't cleared their desk and were forced in on a Saturday. Stretching, I set off at a slow jog into the downtown area of Reefside. I didn't really think about where I was going. I run this route regularly so I just set my legs on autopilot and ran, using the rhythm of it to clear my mind.

The destination I'd had in mind was not the one where my legs took me. Instead of finding myself outside of Hayley's I found myself outside Kim and Jason's training center. Before I could stop myself I'd stepped through the door. Looking around I didn't see anybody so I wandered towards the back but there was still no one. Just then I heard a thump over my head followed by some violent cursing. Curious I headed for the steps and climbed them carefully, stepping around the supplies strewn all over them.

The sight that met my eyes when I got upstairs had me laughing even as I rushed forward to offer my assistance. Jason was standing there cussing like a sailor and attempting to rid himself of the red paint that liberally coated him, mostly on his left side.

"What the hell happened?" I asked as I handed him a towel to wipe off his face and quickly spread a few on the floor to catch the paint beginning to ooze off the drop cloth before it hit the wooden floor.

"I hit the ladder with my shoulder and the paint fell on me." He sounded rather petulant as he replied. "Stupid paint."

"Yes, very stupid paint, obeying the laws of gravity is very bad." I struggled to hold my laughter at bay, knowing the former Red Ranger would not appreciate it.

"Exactly." It took him a second but then Jason realized that what he'd just agreed with was particularly absurd and he started to laugh.

Glad I'd gotten him to laugh about the situation I grinned and kept on working at sopping up some of the paint that was pooled on the drop cloth. He shucked his shoes and socks and carefully stepped off the cloth, making sure to avoid getting the paint on his feet, the only part of him that was currently paint free.

"I'm gonna go take a shower and get this off before it sets in and I spend the next two weeks as the red man. Make yourself comfortable if you wanted to see me. If you're looking for Kim she went shopping with Kira and the girls. I believe Power Rangers merchandise was mentioned." He sounded scandalized by the mere mention of such sacrilege.

I groaned. "That kiosk is making a killing. Kira loves it and I bet Kim will too. That place is the only thing that will voluntarily get Kira to the mall just to browse, well other then the music stores. She bough all of us stuff from there for Christmas, graduation, our birthdays and just about any other thing that's come up that gave her an excuse to get us something."

"Power Rangers merchandise?" He still sounded a bit scandalized and skeptical.

"Hey, they sold stuff like that in Angel Grove. We just never really bought it. We were to worried about giving away our identities. But it never really caught on there the way it did here. I saw Elsa wearing an "I'm the Red Ranger so back off" shirt yesterday and she was an evil minion of Mesogog. Not to mention the principal of the local high school with a reputation to maintain. And I'm pretty sure I saw Councilwoman Sanchez sporting a Blue Ranger shirt at the grocery store last week."

"This town is to weird." He shook his head and then headed down the stairs for the locker room, leaving me to clean up the paint that was splattered everywhere.

10 minutes later he was back, this time paint free, wearing what looked like workout cloths. Even by guy standards that's all they were good for at this point, and even that was pushing it. A woman would have thrown them away years ago.

"Any particular reason why you decided to clean my mess up?" He asked as he started to pitch in with the cleanup operation currently being undergone. "Not that I mind or anything, but you didn't have to do that."

I shrugged. "No real reason, I just needed something to do while I was waiting for you to get out of the shower. I wanted to talk to you."

"'Bout what?" Jason apparently didn't sense my hesitancy because he just kept going with the cleanup.

"Mostly I wanted to apologize." Now I had his attention.

"What for?"

I gave a short, almost bitter in character, laugh. "What am I not apologizing for is what it feels like. I really feel bad about hitting you the other day. And for assuming that you'd started something with Kim. She's a sore spot and I don't always think when she's involved I just act. And while I'm at it I'm sorry for hating you for, well, a while. It never felt right to blame you but it was the easiest solution and at the time that's all I wanted, easy. And then after the damn island blew up and neither you nor Kim came I just . . . well sort of went crazy. I'd already had some sort of strange idea that you guys were involved since you knew where she was but refused to tell me and when neither of you came it just sort of cemented in my mind the idea that you were involved. The other day when I stopped by, that first day, hell was that actually just like what two days ago? Anyway, the first thing I did was check your hands and neither of you was wearing a ring so I relaxed a bit, enough to hang out but I was still sort of half sure you guys were involved. And then you offered, well, told her you were picking up the girls and you'd see her at home and that was all my crazed mind needed in terms of confirmation that you guys were involved."

Jason started to speak, to interrupt my admittedly almost random babbling, and I held up a finger to stop him. "Let me finish. For some reason seeing the two of you and knowing, or at least thinking I knew, you guys were together affected me so much more then when you guys were together 3000 miles away. Before it was in my head, now it was in my face and I realized that it hurt a lot more then I was expecting it to. But when you offered to invite me to your wedding, and yes I know you were joking." I added before he could interrupt. "But when you offered I sort of went a little nuts because this was my Kim you were talking about and, well, its like I said before, when it comes to Kim I don't always think I just act. So I hit you. And I really am sorry. For all of it." I finished and despite the uncharacteristic outpouring of my feelings I felt good. It needed to be said and now that it had been I felt better. Hopefully now Jason and I would be able to repair our relationship. I'd missed my best friend. No one else got me the way he did, or gave me the same challenge in a sparring match, or matched me quite as well drink for drink, or knew me as well as Jason did.

"Apology accepted" Jason said after a pause long enough to have me a bit worried. "Although I don't get how you ever got the idea me and Kim were involved. She's my sister man, or close enough to it anyway and you know that. The idea is just so very wrong on so very many different levels. I'll have to kick you ass for that next time we spar, just for thinking it I'll have to do it. For acting on it, well maybe the next two or three times."

"You can try." I relaxed knowing his offer to spar meant we were okay again. "When do you want to do it?"

"No time like the present." He pointed to the mats spread on the floor on the other side of the room. "What do you say White Ranger, ready to get your ass whipped?"

"Yeah right, and it's Black Jase."

"How the hell's a person supposed to keep up? I should just call you the mutable ranger."

"Mutable?" I raised an eyebrow. "Latin Jase? You can't stick to English?"

"Hey I could call you all sorts of stuff but this one's a Jason Lee Scott original Mr. Technicolor."

"And something I'd expect from Billy" I said, ignoring the new jab. "Thank God he doesn't know I've added a color to my closet."

"Does Zack know?" He grinned evilly.

I paled. "No, and if you ever tell him I'll find something truly horrible to do to you Jason."

"Promises, promises. I'm not worried. You're the one that can't decide on something as simple as a uniform color. I might tell him one day if I get bored." He shrugged. "So what do you say to that match?"

I took stock of myself quickly and decided I wasn't to tired from my run and not to sore from our brawl to days before and nodded. "I can take you," I said as I kicked off my shoes and socks and stepped barefoot onto the mats.

"Such confidence. I'll knock you down a peg or two." Jason followed me to the center of the mats and facing each other we bowed before squaring off. We circled each other for a few moments before Jason lashed out with his foot in a kick I just avoided. As if that was a catalyst we began trading blows swiftly and this went on for almost an hour before I dropped Jason to the mats and pinned him.

"Got you," I said, grinning at him before dropping to the mat beside him breathing heavily. We lay there for a few moments, catching our breath, before he spoke.

"What else did you want to talk to me about?"

It took me a moment to figure out what he was talking about before I replied. "Amanda."

"What about her?"

"Is she always as quite as she was last night? And what's her relationship with Kim like?"  
"No, she's almost never that quiet. Both of the girls are usually very outgoing. It was kind of odd to see her acting so shy. She's probably just worried about what you'll think about her though. After you left last night I heard her ask Kira if she'd been good enough and if you were going to come back."

I sucked in my breath. "She thinks if she's not good I won't stick around?"

"Apparently. She's a bit more sensitive then Taylor. She always took it harder that you weren't around."

"What can I do to get to know her? You know her better then I do Jase, help me out here. Last night Taylor wouldn't give me five seconds with her and I'm no expert but I'm pretty sure that hurt her."

"Yeah it did. Taylor's pushy like that. Although it's mostly defensive when she does it that blatantly. She doesn't want Amanda to get hurt, she's very protective of her at the same time that she overshadows her. She probably figures that if you decide to leave them it will hurt Amanda less if she doesn't know you as well."

"A noble gesture but I'm not leaving and I want to get to know my other daughter as well."

"She has a field hockey game this weekend. Tomorrow actually. I'm taking her to it because Taylor and Kim are going to Blue Bay Harbor with the bowling team. They made it to the league semifinals in the Parent and I league. Amanda and I didn't. But anyway if you want to come to her game tomorrow you can take her out for lunch after and it'll just be the two of you."

I grinned. "I knew there was a reason I came to you Jase. That sounds great. Don't her I'm coming though, okay? I want to surprise her."

"Not a problem. I won't tell Kim either, I'll let Amanda tell her."

"Okay." After I agreed with this plan we lay there quietly for another few minutes before I pulled myself to my feet and headed for my shoes. I tied them on while Jason sat cross-legged on the mats watching me.

"Was there anything else?" He asked quietly, watching me with knowing eyes. I told you he knows me better then most people do. Somehow he'd picked up on what I was barely aware of myself, that there was something else I wanted to talk about. Course I had mentioned earlier I wanted to talk about Kim but even then I wasn't sure exactly what I needed to know. I thought I just wanted to know how she related to Amanda and somehow Jason's description of their weekend told me more then I likely would have gotten any other way but that's something to think on later. For now Jason was still staring at me and I could see him switching into fearless leader mode.

"Kind of. But I don't know what it is I really want to talk about." I said before he could start demanding information. "I guess what I really want to know is to know Kim. Who has she become and does she still love me? If she does then why in the hell is she pulling away from me? I want the information that only you have."

"You want me to tell you about Kim?" He sounded like I'd just asked him to defuse a bomb in five seconds in a dark room with no prior training at all in the art of bomb defusement. "No offense bro, I'd do a lot for you, really I would. But I also happen to like living so I really don't think I'll be telling you any of that."

"Jason you gotta help me here. You know how long it took the first time around for me to figure it all out. Help me please. Just tell me if she still loves me. And why she's pulling away from me. I'm not giving up on us this time, all I want is some help in getting her back."

"To be honest I have no idea why she's pulling away, if that is actually what she's doing. All she's wanted for ages is to tell you about Amanda and Taylor so there were no more secrets between you guys so you could get back together. We've had just as many conversations on the possibility of the two of you getting back together as we've had about her telling you about the girls. As far as I know she's never stopped loving you." My frustration must have shown on my face because he shrugged. "Not much more I can tell you. She's changed though, in some ways a lot, in some ways only a little but she still loves you as far as I'm aware. And that's knowledge that's not that old. We talked about this not long before we moved to Reefside. If she hasn't stopped loving you in 10 years I doubt its happened in the last few weeks."

The validity of his point didn't really ease my frustration. Knowing that she'd told him she still loved me only made me more frustrated. If she loved me why the hell was she pulling away? "I've got to get back," I said finally, unwilling to talk about this any longer. I pushed myself to my feet. "I'll see you tomorrow. Where?"

"The field at the elementary school. Reefside Elementary School that is. Game starts at 10 am."

"Got it. I'll see you then. And Jase . . ."

"Yeah?"

"Don't tell Kim about this. At least not the part where I asked about her."

"Got it."

Before he could add to his agreement I nodded in his direction and headed down the stairs. Kind of tired and a bit sore I started on my way back to Reefside High. Our sparring session had been good but when added to the five miles I'd already run, the five miles I still had to go and the intense emotional highs of the past few hours I knew I would sleep very well tonight. But the burn of sore muscles from the session felt great. I hadn't been able to spar without holding back and without fear for my life since the last time I'd faced Jason and it was a good feeling. Nevertheless it was with a bit of a groan that I picked up the pace from a slow jog to more of a run. Sparring and running don't always mix well. Run before you spar, not after. After your muscles protest. A lot.

As I ran I started to plot. After all I had two women to win over and I was not willing to wait. I'd lost enough time with each of them; I didn't plan on losing anymore.


	5. Chapter 5

The next morning found me at the athletic field of Reefside Elementary School. I was late, big surprise there right, but not that late, only five minutes. Approaching the bleachers I found Jason close to the front and saw that he'd apparently saved me a seat. With a muttered greeting and thanks I sank onto the metal seat and promptly turned my attention to the field. I know next to nothing about field hockey so my first impression was of a bunch of prepubescent girls running around with sticks whacking a ball. Hell that was my second impression as well. In fact it reminded me a lot of hockey, which is not my favorite sport, but it was important to my daughter so I was determined to attempt to learn to like it. Hell, if we ran out of things to talk about she could explain the rules to me. That would be something to bond over.

I set my attention to finding my daughter in the chaos that was taking place on the field and finally found her, just as she scored the first goal of the game. I turned to Jason with a huge grin on my face and didn't have to ask if he'd seen it, his own grin was answer enough for me. I returned my attention to the field and watched as my daughter battled with her team. As I watched I was impressed by her ability to work so well with the other girls on her team and also by the leadership she was showing on the field. Apparently she'd inherited something from me even if her build was all Kim.

When the teams took a brief timeout Jason took advantage of the momentary lull in action and noise to impart some good news. "The coach announced before the game that he's making Amanda the team captain. He waited until he'd seen all the girls play before picking and so he finally made his choice this week and Amanda's it. But act surprised when she tells you, if she does. I'm not supposed to share, but I had to." The pride was unmistakable in his voice and on his face and I couldn't find it in me to fault him for spilling the beans. If it had been me I would have had to tell someone as well.

"You spend the most time with her don't you?" I said slowly, not totally sure how far I wanted to push this.

He looked a bit abashed but answered honestly. "Yeah. I think Kim just doesn't understand her as well as she does Taylor so she lets me handle it most of the time. I mean she loves her, she loves them both equally but she's just a bit closer to Taylor, they're more alike even though it wouldn't seem that way at first."

"I figured as much." I turned my attention back to the game. I didn't want to know anymore just yet. Later I would demand to know how far this neglect, for lack of a better word, went, later I would demand to know just how much Jason had, in a way, been forced to do what Kim should do but for now I just wanted to watch my daughter play.

An hour or so later the game finished. Despite my complete lack of knowledge I was pretty sure Amanda had played well. Her team won 4-2 and she scored both the first and the last goals for her team. She had definitely played hard. Whenever something went down on the field she was in the thick of it. She was also definitely going to have bruises tomorrow. I'd winced a couple of times at the force of a couple of the collisions she'd been involved in. And damn was I proud of her. Now I could see why so many parents were so proud of their kid's accomplishments, it was a very real thing to me now. Some of the girls played like they were afraid of getting dirty but not my Amanda. She was streaked with dirt, mottled with bruises and having a great time, you could see it in her grin of savage joy.

The coach spoke briefly to all the girls after the game, handed Amanda something that made her beam with joy and then dismissed them for the day. Apparently Jason always sat in the same general are because she headed unerringly in our direction but I was fairly certain she hadn't looked our way during the game, her entire attention had been on the field, and the second she saw me sitting next to Jason she froze. It was a very brief pause though and if I hadn't been watching her so closely I wouldn't have seen it. In the next moment a huge smile lit her face and she ran forward. Ignoring Jason, at least momentarily, she flung herself into my outstretched arms.

"Did you come to see my play daddy?" She asked after letting go and backing a little away.

"Of course I did. I don't see any other beautiful girls here and I only watch the beautiful ones." Acting on instinct I tipped her face up and dropped a kiss on the tip of her nose. "You did good imp. I don't know a lot about this game but I saw you score two goals. That's good right?" I pretended confusion even though that part was pretty obvious.

She giggled a bit before replying. "Yes daddy, goals are good." She hugged Jason and then looked between the two of us excitedly. "Guess what!"

"What?" We asked simultaneously.

"I made team captain! Coach Sims told us today. Isn't that great!"

I reached out and pulled her into another hug. "That's incredible news imp." I dropped a kiss on the top of her head. "What do you say we go out to celebrate? We'll go wherever you want for lunch."

"Really?! Just you, me, uncle Jason and I get to pick?" Her voice filled with surprise and pleasure that was almost heartbreaking. It wasn't surprise like 'oh wow that's a cool idea' but surprise like 'you really want to do something special with me.' I looked at Jason and he nodded slightly to show me he was okay with this change in our plans. He didn't want to take away from her joy any more then I did.

"Yes really. You, me, uncle Jason and the restaurant of your choice."

"Exactly" Jason seconded. "We're proud of you Mandy."

She blushed, apparently ill at ease with our effusive praise. "Can we go to In-N-Out?" She asked, effectively changing the subject. Jason and I exchanged relieved looks over her head that she hadn't picked anything odd or kiddy and agreed. She grinned again and grabbed my hand. "Can I ride with you instead of uncle Jason daddy?" Her brown eyes were so pleading that I was helpless to say no, not that I wanted to. Giving her what she wanted gave me what I wanted as well. A win-win situation, my favorite kind.

"Of course you can ride with me" I agreed, doing a completely internal cheer. Okay, not totally internal because I know I was smiling like an idiot but who cares about that. "Do you know where we're going?" I asked Jason, making sure he knew where the local In-N-Out was.

"You're joking right?" He sounded offended. "The first thing I did was scope out all the good burger places in this town, and then pizza places, and then Chinese places and . . ."

He looked ready to continue for quite a while so I cut him off. "Okay I get it, you know where to go to get good food. Geez, you were starting to sound like Rocky for a second there. Or Conner and as of yet I'm not sure who's worse."

He looked offended but apparently decided not to dignify my comment with a response. "I bet I can beat you there." He said instead.

"Do you then? Loser buys." We shook on it and took off for our separate vehicles. I held onto Amanda's hand to make sure I didn't lose her in the crowd we were pushing through.

"Did you and uncle Jason make a bet?" She asked as we buckled ourselves into my jeep.

"Yep, and you and I are gonna win it."

"Uncle Jason never loses a bet." She sounded very sure of this and I restrained my urge to laugh, I didn't want to hurt her feelings so I'd tell her some other time about all the bets Jason had lost to me in high school.

"He regularly loses to me," I said, not going into detail. "Where did he park imp?"

"The parking lot. We always park there."

I grinned fiercely. "A tactical mistake my dear."

"Why?"

"Because parking lots are very hard to get out of after something like this. Everybody is trying to get out off the same small area at the same time. I, however, never park in lots for something like this. It's much more expedient to park on the street. And" I added as I turned down a miniscule side street, "I know Reefside better. I know all the shortcuts. And I used to race. He doesn't stand a chance."

She grinned this big old competitive grin. "So uncle Jason's going down?"

"Yep."

"Awesome! I can't wait to tell mom." She bounced a little in her seat. "Mom hates the fact that uncle Jason always wins."

"Do your mom and uncle Jason bet each other frequently?" I asked as I slid neatly into a spot. "We're here by the way, do you see uncle Jason anywhere?"

"Nope, and yeah he and mom bet all the time. But Taylor and I aren't allowed."

"As it should be, you're to young. Let's go wait inside" I continued, seeing the storm building in her eyes. "So we can surprise your uncle Jason when he gets here."

"Okay." She hopped out of the jeep and when I walked around to her side she slipped her hand trustingly into mine. The sensation of her much smaller hand nestled into my much larger one spurred a wave of warmth and protectiveness. This was my little girl and I would protect her and I would love her.

Five minutes later we were sitting inside at a table chatting when Jason stepped in. I saw him first and nudged Amanda and nodded in his direction. A second later her saw us and his reaction was comical. His grin of triumph slid off his face to be replaced with shock and dismay. Amanda and I both burst into laughter at his reaction and he grinned ruefully.

"I should have remembered I never could beat you Oliver," he said as he came up to our table. "Though I might have won if you hadn't taken my lucky charm," he motioned at Amanda. "I demand a recount."

I snorted. "Not happenin' Jase. I won fair and square. I hope the reason you were so late is because you stopped at an ATM. You owe my daughter and I lunch."

He groaned. "As long as you don't eat like Rocky we'll be fine. What do you guys want?"

After getting our orders he went to the counter to place them while Amanda and I resumed our interrupted conversation. While she told me about school and her favorite subjects, teachers, and what have you I was struck once more by the differences between Amanda and her sister. Taylor just sort of chattered at me and rarely explained who people were or anything. Amanda, on the other hand, followed some sort of definite order. She didn't go off on wild tangents, or if she did she got back to the topic really fast, and she was good at telling you who everyone was. Basically she was a good storyteller while her sister was not. Amanda carries on a conversation with you, Taylor prattles at you and doesn't really require a response of any sort.

When Jason finally returned with our food the conversation moved more towards what they had and had not yet done in Reefside. When I found out that Kim had taken Taylor to Reefside's tiny sports museum while Amanda was at the dentist and had not reciprocated the gesture with Amanda I got a little mad. Actually I got a lot mad because the more I talked to Amanda the more I got the very definite impression that Kim favored Taylor. As far as I was concerned the fact that the two of them got along better then Kim and Amanda was no real excuse. Amanda shouldn't be ignored just because her temperament didn't match her mothers quite as well. So I immediately offered to take her myself, and was instantly glad I did. The hope and joy that lit in her eyes was more then enough of a reward for me.

But that light dimmed suddenly. "It's Sunday," she told me in a very despondent tone of voice. "The museum's not open today. And if we go another day we should take Taylor as well. It wouldn't be fair otherwise."

The disappointment in her voice ripped at my soul. I would do a lot to get that despair out of my little girl's voice. Excusing myself for a minute I walked away to place a phone call to a friend that owed me a favor, or six but who's counting? I came back to the table with a broad smile on my face and, ignoring Jason's quizzical look prompted by his curiosity about how I could possibly be so happy when Amanda was so upset, I addressed her instead. "If I told you we could go to the museum today even though it's Sunday would you want to go?"

A faint sparkle of hope was in her eyes when she answered me. "YES!"

"Then we'll go today. I know the owner and he agreed to open it today just for us and to give us a personalized tour." Both Jason and I cringed a bit when she shrieked in excitement but neither of us quieted her. "You know him to" I told Jason after she went back to her burger. There was curiosity on his face but I refused to assuage it. "So you want to come with?"

"You have to come Uncle Jason!" Amanda said, looking up from her food. "We can't leave you behind, then you'd be all alone." Then she went back to her food, unaware that the two of us were staring at her in surprise.

Jason, who'd been on the verge of declining to give us some time together, no longer felt comfortable in doing so and agreed to come. "When are we supposed to get there?"

"He said anytime's good. I'll call him when we have a better idea. I was thinking Amanda might want to change out of her uniform first. He lives next door to it though so its not a huge deal when we're ready to go."

"Ah." We finished our meal in near silence, as we were all eager to get to the museum. Amanda finished first and sat bouncing in her seat until Jason and I were done. Seeing her impatience, not that it was possible to miss it, Jason and I looked at each other and proceeded to eat our last few bites very, very slowly.

"Daddy! Uncle Jason!" she protested loudly. "Hurry up!" We both laughed at the vexation in her voice and finished quickly.

"Do you have a change of cloths with you?" I asked when we were done.

"Yeah, she does." Jason answered. "Why?"

"'Cause Hayley's is only a couple of blocks from here and I know she'd let Amanda use the shower in the apartment over the café. It would save us a bit of time." I explained. 'And keep us from running into Kim and Taylor if they get back early.' I finished silently in my head, but I could tell Jason knew what I what I was thinking.

"I want to meet Hayley! Kira says she's really nice and makes the best strawberry-pineapple smoothies ever."

"Hayley's it is then," Jason said, knowing he was outnumbered, but I got the impression he really didn't mind all that much.

We left In-N-Out and headed for our separate cars. We met up again a few minutes later at Hayley's. Jason came in carrying a small duffle bag just as I asked Hayley for two strawberry-pineapple smoothies, having already introduced her to Amanda. He tossed the bag to me and I caught it easily and then took Amanda around the counter and up the back steps. We stepped around the boxes of non-perishable supplies Hayley kept up here and towards the bathroom, which I knew from experience was fully stocked with shampoo, soap, towels etc. I gave her a quick tour of the bathroom, pointed out where everything was and then headed back downstairs to chill with Jason while we waited.

Well that was the idea anyway. When I got downstairs I discovered that Ethan had apparently come back to Reefside for the weekend, though were he'd stayed was beyond me since it hadn't been in his room at my house, and he, Conner, and Kira had cornered Jason. Apparently instead of hanging out with my best friend I was going to have to save the original Red Ranger from the clutches of my team. I almost abandoned him to his fate, after all he's perfectly capable of taking care of himself but he saw me and the panic in his eyes and the threat of danger if I left him alone was enough to convince me that I ought to save him.

I stopped for a moment to figure out a plan of action, after all we were in a room full of civilians so I couldn't tell them to just leave him the hell alone without inspiring a lot of commentary, and got the pleasure of seeing his eyes widen even more in fear. Finally I stepped up behind Ethan and laid a hand on his blue clad shoulder, and promptly dodged the fist that came my way. Good to see something I'd taught them had stuck. I ignored it, after all he'd reacted the way most Rangers would, and instead asked when he'd gotten into town.

"20 minutes ago" he said, surprising me. "I don't have class for the next few days and Conner told me who was in town so I rearranged my work schedule and here I am." He looked around, judged it mostly safe, and lowered his voice anyway. "I had to come and meet two legends." I raised my eyebrow but didn't comment on the use of the word legend. After all, it bothered the hell out of me when people called me the legend so I really shouldn't complain if there were more, but damn if I couldn't help but feel a bit jealous that I'd apparently been supplanted from legend status in the eyes of my team.

"You'll have to put sheets on your bed." I said instead. "I took 'em off and washed 'em after you left last time. I wasn't expecting you back until Thanksgiving. But it's good to see you." I added as I pulled him into a quick hug. "We miss you around here."

"I miss you guys too. It's weird being on my own in Santa Barbara but its fun too. The classes are good."

"What about the babes?" Jason and Conner cut in at the same time. Kira glared at Conner but Ethan and I chuckled.

"The babes are fine. Definitely babes. You should come visit me sometime, see for yourself."

"What's a babe daddy?" Amanda asked from behind me. I smirked at the expressions of dumbfounded shock on Conner and Ethan's faces; apparently Kira hadn't shared this bit of information with them, before turning to her.

"It's a bad term they shouldn't be using. It says mean things about women and usually makes all women want to hit the guy that uses it."

"That's an unfair representation Dr. O. It can also be a term of endearment and affection."

"True." I conceded. "But not in the way you're using it." Ignoring their continued protests I turned back to Amanda. "You're all done and ready to go imp."

"Yep. Do I still get a strawberry-pineapple smoothie?"

"Right here sweetheart." Hayley said as she handed me the smoothies in 2 to-go cups, something she did only rarely, put it into a to-go cup that is.

"Awesome. Thanks Hayley." She gave Hayley that beatific smile I'd only seen a couple of times and I felt my heart melt a bit more. And at the same time that smile scared the hell out of me. I was going to be beating complete hoards of boys off in a few years because she was a pretty girl to start with. When she smiled that heartbreakingly beatific smile she was breathtaking. Even Ethan and Conner were affected, I could tell by their sharp intakes of breath.

"Yeah, thanks Hayley." I echoed. I introduced Amanda to the boys quickly, and was surprised when both of them pulled her into a hug instead of shaking her hand. She was apparently surprised as well but pleased as well, as was evident by the smile she gave them. Soon after that I was ready to go. Jason agreed with me and with a couple of quick goodbyes we managed to escape without the teens hanging on and inviting themselves to come with. I exhaled loudly when we got outside and then smirked at Jason. "Teens bro?" Before he could answer I turned to the left. "Next stop the sports museum."

A.N.: So I had what I think is a brilliant idea. I'm about finished this story, I've only got chapter 10 left to write thanks to an incredibly boring week of classes last week and I was thinking that there may be small gaps in the story. Things that aren't important to this but could be cool to see anyway. So after I finish this I'm going to put up what I will call "Snippets" and it will be basically that, scenes that fit into this in some way but aren't part of the story. And then I thought I'd get some involvement from the readers as well. So if there are any scenes you want to see or if there are scenes you'd like to see from a different point of view or anything like that let me know and I'll see what I can do about accomodating you with a chapter in "Snippets." And I don't say this nearly often enough, but thank you to everyone that reviews. I love reading them.


	6. Chapter 6

As we approached the building that housed the museum I could feel Jason's confusion and internally I smiled. The outside was done up in a collage of murals painted straight onto the brick and amongst the pictures of various sports legends like Babe Ruth and Johnny Unitas there was one of the original Power Rangers. It had shocked the hell out of me as well the first time I'd seen it, but once you knew who owned it, it all made sense.

"Who did you say owned this again?" Jason asked as we got a bit closer.

"I didn't. It's a surprise. It's an old friend who got the place from his parents. It was a sort of retirement baby for them but then they decided to travel the world and passed it down."

"Does Kim know?"

I shrugged. "How the hell should I know Jase? In case you've forgotten you're the one that lives with her, not me. But if she hasn't told you it's probably safe to assume she doesn't know. Just because she's been here doesn't mean she'd know, my friend doesn't work here everyday, just when it suits him."

"You're killing me. Can't you just tell me already?"

I smiled. "Hell no!" I knocked on the door since it was locked. "The look on your face is gonna be priceless."

Amanda tugged my sleeve. "Daddy, why is uncle Jason mad?"

"I'm not mad at you sweetie." Jason cut in before I could answer. "Your knucklehead of a father over there won't tell me who we're meeting." He turned to face her and so had his back to the door when it opened to reveal our former teammate. A teammate who was in on the fact that Jason didn't yet know his identity.

"Hey Tommy" he greeted me. "I thought you said you were bringing a couple of kids by. This joker looks a little old to be called a kid."

Jason spun around so fast I thought for a second I was going to have to catch him as he fell but he managed to retain his balance. "Zack?!" he asked, surprise and a bit of excitement in his voice.

"None other" Zack agreed before pulling Jason into a back pounding man hug. "How've you been fearless leader?" He asked when they let go.

"Good. Me and Kim are opening a dojo/gymnastics center here. How've you been? What are you doing in Reefside? What happened to Taylor Industries?" Jason started firing off the questions so fast Zack held his hands up in self-defense.

"Slow down man. I've been good, I'm here because I moved the headquarters of TI here so I could also be involved in a lot of the day to day business of this place. And no more questions now." He added, seeing Jason was getting ready to open his mouth again. "We'll get together later to catch up. Right now I think there is someone else I have to meet."

I tugged Amanda up gently from where she'd been standing a bit behind me. "This is my daughter, Amanda," I said, pride swelling in my veins as I introduced her as my daughter for the first time. I also ignored the way Zack's eyes got VERY wide. "Amanda, this an old friend of mine and your uncle Jason, your uncle Zack."

"Exactly" Zack agreed, even as he gave me a look that told me we'd be having a very long talk later. "I am the Zack-man and definitely your honorary uncle." He held out a hand. "It's nice to meet you."

Amanda ignored the hand and wrapped the surprised Zack in a hug. "It's great to meet you too! This has been the best weekend," she added, looking up at Jason. "I got a daddy, an uncle and Kira all on the same weekend."

The startled and apologetic look I got from Zack made me want to laugh, but I didn't. Apparently he'd thought I'd been hiding her all these years. As if. But it didn't matter; I knew I'd tell him the story soon anyway. We'd become much closer since he'd moved to Reefside and he knew I'd been involved with the Dino Thunder team, he just didn't know how much I'd been involved. Though I wouldn't be surprised if he'd figured it out. But I hadn't told him I'd taken his color. I'd had enough on my hands fighting Mesogog, who said I wanted to add Zack's shit to it.

"So I hear you want to see my museum little lady" Zack said, cutting into my thoughts and bringing me back to reality.

"Oh yes please!" Amanda gave him a pleading look.

"I'm at your service." He ushered us in. "Where do you want to start?"

The group of us spent the next couple of hours wandering the museum. Jason and I were as versed in some of these things as Zack and so we took turns explaining things. Generally one of us would be up at the exhibit with Amanda while the other two talked quietly in the background. I don't know what Jason and Zack talked about but I didn't discuss anything particularly serious with either man, this was neither the time nor the place, this was for fun.

As we approached the last part of the museum Zack dropped back to talk to both of us while Amanda ran ahead. "Does she know? About us I mean? The whole saving the world bit?"

I looked at Jason, just as curious as Zack to know the answer."

"Nope. They know about the Power Rangers but they don't know we were the Rangers. Kim and I didn't want to tell them while they were so young. We didn't know if they could keep it a secret or not."

"Got it" Zack said, still looking a bit confused that Jason had answered instead of me even though he knew Amanda had only met me a few days before. "Then I won't give her the special tour."

"Special tour?" Jason and I exchanged confused looks before looking back at Zack.

"Just what's in that last room?" I asked. I hadn't been here in months and at the time that last room was dedicated to the most recent Olympic games.

"You'll see." He had a secretive smile on his face. And he was right, a few moments later we walked past a sign that read "Power Rangers: Defenders of Earth, Protectors of Mankind." Both of us shot him a look, a "what the hell are you up to" look that we'd perfected during our tenures as leaders. "You'll see. It's not bad, I promise."

We stepped into the room and the first thing we saw was a large blown-up picture of Zordon in his energy tube. My eyes teared up instantly and when I glanced over I saw Jason had been similarly affected. After getting our emotions back under control we began to look around the room. As we did so it was obvious that Zack had set up the room as a tribute to what we had been in such a way that we say the underlying message of brotherly love, and tribute to Zordon, but so that to the ordinary person it looked like an ordinary person was paying tribute to the groups of people who had saved the planet.

All around us were news photos, articles, and replicas of our weapons. There were also other photos, team photos taken in the Command Center, that were tagged as having been donated by the Space Rangers. Returning to the front I saw a similar tag on the photo of Zordon as well as a small plaque also commissioned by those Rangers. To choked up to go back in I found a seat on a bench outside the room and waited for the rest of them to join me. Jason appeared about a minute and a half later but it took quite a bit longer for Zack and Amanda to come out. When they did so Amanda was pestering him for stories about the Rangers that weren't published but that he'd learned in the course of his association with the Space Rangers.

Finally we left the museum. Zack and Jason went off on their own, probably to a bar, though they did say something about catching up so maybe not, and Amanda and I headed back to my place. Jason had called Kim and found out she was still in Blue Bay Harbor so he informed her I was taking Amanda home with me so he could go hang out with Zack. From what he said she was glad to hear it thought Taylor was less then thrilled.

I decided that since it was a gorgeous day with a bit of a crisp bite to the air but nothing more that I would grill up some steaks for dinner. I love to grill and given the time of year I won't have that many more opportunities to do so until next spring. Amanda was all over this idea, she was apparently a developing grill master, and she was the one who informed me that potatoes and veggies don't have to be grilled separately but can be done together. After we got all the food going she disappeared inside to set the table while I finished up with dinner.

I finished without any further appearances from Amanda. A bit concerned because she'd been inside by herself for fifteen minutes and didn't know her way around I quickly moved the food to plates, turned off the gas flow and hurried fro the house. As soon as I got in the back door I knew why she'd not come back. The trap door to the Dino Thunder Command Center lay open against the kitchen floor and I know that door was closed when I went outside.

"Shit" I muttered, dropping the plates on the table. "Kim's gonna kill me." I headed down the stairs quickly in search of my errant daughter. The lack of screams told me the Raptor Riders hadn't picked today to come inside but given that they were mostly wild I didn't want to take any chances. That was really the only danger left. If she'd been down there for any longer then 30 seconds then my cover was blown so all I was really worried about was her safety. The Raptors obeyed me, their respective riders and Hayley, occasionally. That was it. And they only people they let within arms reach were any member of the Dino Thunder team and Hayley. Anton and Elsa had both been near them recently and they tried to take their heads off, with that as my precedent for their behavior with strangers I was terrified for my daughter.

I came around the corner and exhaled softly, careful not to startle Rex. Apparently I'd been wrong about the Raptors coming inside. Amanda was currently standing a foot in front of Rex, Conner's red raptor, while he looked her over carefully. Before I could warn her to back away he lowered his head and nuzzled her gently. With a giggle Amanda began to rub the head that was almost as large as she was while he closed his eyes in an expression of bliss I usually only see on dogs.

I stepped forward into the open and was gratified to see the surprise followed by guilt that flooded Amanda's eyes. After the fright I'd just had I was glad to see she at least knew she'd done something wrong. Rex looked up when her hand stilled but seeing it was only me he went back to nuzzling her hand in hope that she would resume stroking him.

"I didn't mean to find it," she said as she picked up with petting Rex. "I bumped into the statue and it just appeared and I was curious."

"Curiosity is a good thing imp but you have to be careful. Rex there is not usually friendly. You're very lucky he didn't bite you. And when people hide entrances like that it generally means they don't want people there."

"I'm sorry." Tears filled her eyes. "Really daddy I am. It was an accident."

"It's okay imp. But you have to promise me something."

"What?"

"The only person you can tell about this is your uncle Jason. No one else. And only tell him if you have to. Otherwise you can't tell anybody."

"But why? Why can't I tell mommy you were a Power Ranger?"

"Because it's against the rules." And I had no desire for Kim to kill me when she found out Amanda knew.

"The rules?" She looked puzzled. "There are rules for being a Power Ranger?"

I crossed to the new leather chair I'd put in the lab after Zeltrax had trashed it. Sitting I pulled her onto my lap. "Yes, there are three rules to being a Ranger. One of them is to never reveal you're identity to a non-Ranger. Now I know you found out by accident but can you keep daddy's secret?"

"Yes. I can't tell anybody?"

"Nobody. But in case of emergency you can tell uncle Jason about this room."

"Okay. I promise." She was quiet a minute. "Can I come play with Rex sometimes?"

I laughed. "We'll see. It'll be hard to find times to get you here to play with him without telling anyone where we're going but we'll see." I gave her a brief hug. "Any more questions imp?"

"Why does Rex smell like Kira's friend Conner?"

I stared at her in surprise. "What?"

"The guy Conner that I met at Hayleys. Rex kinda smells the same. It's different but kind of the same also."

I might have gotten away with some bullshit excuse but the kids, Ethan, Kira and Conner that is, chose that moment to come in through the lab's back door. Rex bounded over and nudged Conner and I knew I was in trouble. Especially when Nips, Ethan's blue raptor, and Artemis, Kira's yellow raptor, followed the group inside. They started to tell me something, the kids that is, but then they realized that I was not alone. And not only was I not alone but I was a very unhappy former black ranger. To be honest some part of me had expected that at some point one f the twins would figure out my identity but I hadn't expected it this soon, nor had I expected that my unveiling would unmask the rest of my team as well. Complete silence reigned over the lab for a full minute.

"Sorry Dr. O" Conner finally said. "We didn't think you'd be down here. We just wanted to find Rex and umm go out for a bit."

Even as upset as I was I could admit that it wasn't their fault. They'd come in the secret entrance obviously not wanting to disturb my daughter or me. They had no way of knowing we'd be down here, no way of knowing they'd be blowing their cover. "Not your fault Conner. Go ahead and go. And be careful, don't be seen. The raptors aren't' exactly unknown around here." Fast enough that if I hadn't known better I would swear they were all using Conner's super speed all three teens and all three raptors were gone, leaving Amanda and I alone in the cavernous room.

"They were Power Rangers too, weren't they daddy?"

"Yes they were. You can't tell anyone about them either. The same rules apply to them."

"Can I talk to them about it? I want to know what it's like!"

"Only when there is no one else around. I can't tell you enough how careful you have to be."

"I'll be careful. Promise. Pinky-swear" she added, holding out her hand, little finger extended.

I grinned, I hadn't done that in years but I remembered how solemnly kids took a pinky swear. It's the kid's version of swearing on a bible. I extended my own little finger and wrapped it around hers. "Pinky swear." We sat there in silence for a few moments before I suggest we go upstairs and eat our no doubt now cold dinners. I was as satisfied as I was gonna get that Amanda would keep our secrets. Now it was just a matter of trust.

A.N. It is a sign of my deep affection for you all that you have this today. If you knew what the last 5 days have been like for me, you'd really understand why it was a serious effort of love to get this out today. As of this morning only the first 3 paragraphs were typed. All the rest was still on paper. And my thesis, which is technically due today isn't finished yet, thank God for extensions. Anyway, hope you enjoyed it. And I apologize for glaring grammatical errors and whatnot I didnt read this very closely before posting it.


	7. Chapter 7

After eating our reheated dinner I took Amanda home having called to find out Kim and Taylor were finally home. It broke my heart to see Amanda getting quieter the closer we got to her house and I resolved to talk to Kim. Tonight if possible. Whatever it was that made Amanda act this way needed to end. All day she'd been cheerful and vivacious. There was the occasionally moment when her surprise at being included squeezed my heart painfully and I didn't like that. And I didn't like the loss of the Amanda I'd seen all day.

When we got back to the house Kim met us at the door and after a cursory question about our day sent Amanda off to shower. I tried very hard not to glare, she'd cut Amanda off after all, but I'm pretty sure I wasn't entirely successful. Fortunately, however, Kim had gotten distracted and by the time she was paying me any attention again I'd resumed my usual impassive expression. I might be royally ticked off at her but I wasn't going to yell where the girls could hear me. They had enough upheaval in their lives right now, they did not need to hear Kim and I having a knockdown drag-out fight.

She looked like she wanted to get rid of me but before she could I asked if I could stick around to say goodnight to the girls since I hadn't yet seen Taylor today and she'd chased Amanda off before I could say anything to her. She hesitated and I could see reluctance in her eyes, not that I had any clue why it was there or anything, but it was. She lifted her hand to run her fingers through her hair and my attention was drawn to her wrist. A wrist that bore a bracelet that a naïve 17-year-old boy had purchased for his girlfriend.

It looked a little odd wrapped around her slender wrist now. It was 10 years out of style and a bit young at that. It had been bought for a 17-year-old girl; not a 27-year-old woman but she wore it anyway. I hadn't expected that when I gave it to her. I expected she'd get the message but not wear it. It didn't fit the image of the woman she'd become after all. But she was wearing it and it thawed a tiny bit of my anger to see that. I'd waited 10 long years to see her wear it and even if I'd steeled myself to never see it I 's wanted to nonetheless. The lamplight caught the metal and it gleamed briefly and involuntarily I remembered the day I'd purchased it.

_I'd been at the mall, conned into going shopping with Aisha and Kat. Rocky and I were bitching about being used as pack mules and trying to figure out how Billy and Adam had gotten out of being dragged along when Aisha decided to look at the jewelry set up on a table near the food court. I'd been about to walk past and find a place to sit down while she and Kat browsed when a tinge of pink caught my eye. Dumping what I was carrying onto Rocky, who proceeded to bitch even louder, I went over to the table myself to look. The flash of pink turned out to be something garish but next to it was a delicate silver bracelet with a charm that read 'Always Together.' The style of the charm, very modern and young, seemed incongruous with the timeless twists of the bracelet but it appealed to me. I picked it up, fully intending to buy it for Kim. On my way to the end of the table where the cash box sat I was distracted by the display of additional charms. It didn't take much searching to find a tiger charm, it was even white, but I was having a very hard time finding one for Kim. Just when I was about to give up I found one that struck me. Someone had very artfully forged into a charm the image of a Phoenix rising from the flames. My mind immediately flashed to Firebird and I knew it was perfect. The price of that miniature work of art made me wince but, as far as I was concerned, it was worth it. I knew Kim would love it._

Apparently I'd been right all those years ago if she was wearing it now, even after all the problems we'd had and all the things we'd yet to clear up. Shaking my head a bit to clear it I proceeded to make myself comfortable in the living room. I was a little anxious now that I was so close to confronting Kim, after all it could ruin what we were maybe rebuilding, and my posture probably announced this anxiety to anybody who cared to look. I sat forward on the couch, head bowed toward the floor and hands twisted together between my splayed knees.

"You want something else, don't you?" Kim asked me from where she sat curled in an overstuffed armchair.

"We do need to talk." I said hesitantly after a pause.

"What about?" She seemed almost resigned, but I had no idea why I was hearing resignation in her voice. It occurs to me there's a lot about her I don't know anymore.

"Not now." I could hear the soft pad of bare feet running down the stairs. "We've got company coming. Later.' I finished as she started to open her mouth. Fortunately she chose not to take offence to me giving the orders, at least not yet, and I turned to see who was coming into the room. I wasn't really that surprised to see it was Taylor that was currently flinging herself across the room, it hadn't been that long since we'd arrived so Amanda was likely still in the shower.

Taylor spent the next 10 minutes telling me about her day in Blue Bay Harbor. As soon as she finished telling me how great it was to spend tons of time with Kim without anyone around and how much fun it was to go out and do stuff she started demanding to know why I'd spent the day with Amanda and why I'd taken her to a boring museum. Before I could defend my actions, explain them, hell do anything, she was demanding to know when she was going to get to spend the day with me.

Jason, thankfully, came to my rescue. He'd come in at some point and Kim, I noted, had apparently disappeared. Before I could even begin to formulate a response to that question he was answering her. "It's not a competition to see who can spend more time with your dad Taylor Aisha. You spent the day with your mom. Amanda spent hers with your father so leave it alone. Besides, you're the one that spent all your time with him when he came to dinner. I'd say you guys are even. But again, it's not a competition."

It seemed as if Taylor was going to object to this but Kim came back in at that moment. "Amanda's already in bed" she told me. "The third door on the left upstairs, right at the top of the steps. She's waiting for you. Taylor will be up in a minute, hers is the first door on the left." She stopped and looked at me expectantly. Not sure why she was so determined to get rid of me I decided to do as she'd rather broadly hinted me to do.

The third door bore a plaque that announced Amanda's Room and was cracked open, with a bit of light spilling into the hallway. I pushed it open a bit more and made my way inside. I stopped a little inside the doorway to look around the room. The walls of her room were green, a green that was very similar to that of my Green Ranger uniform, and all the accenting was done in white. The room itself was painfully neat considering its occupant was a 10-year-old girl, absolutely everything was put away, most of it so it couldn't really be seen. At least I was assuming she had hidden storage, either that or we were going to have to go shopping. But what really made me stare were the two posters on her walls. I was staring at myself, sort of. White and Green Rangers looked out over the room with the background of the Angel Grove skyline.

"Nice posters." I said finally as I came over to sit on the edge of her bed. "Where did you get them?"

"Uncle Jason gave them to me. He said that when he lived in Angel Grove there were Power Rangers and that people sold stuff with them. When I started to like them he found those on eBay for me. I got some other stuff too." She started to get out of bed, presumably to show me the other stuff but I stopped her.

"You can show me later imp. Now it's time for you to go to sleep. You have school tomorrow so you need sleep." I bushed some hair back from her face. "Did you have fun today?"

"Yes! It was the best day ever." Her eyes spoke volumes more.

"Good. You have a game next weekend too, right?"

"Yep." There was a pause. "Are you going to come daddy?" Her voice was very hesitant as she asked me.

"Of course." I smiled and then leaned down to brush a kiss across her forehead. "Sleep well imp." In my head I heard my mom and I repeated what I heard in my subconscious. "Sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite." She giggled a bit and with another quick kiss I was gone. Pulling the door almost but not quite all the way shut behind me I headed down the hallway for Taylor's room.

This time I found myself retreated to the doorway more out of shock then curiosity. Taylor's walls were painted a lurid shade of pink with neon green accenting. It could have looked good, if the shade of pink was different. I've seen pink and green rooms that didn't assault the senses but this was not one of them. Where Amanda had only two posters on her wall and one framed picture on her dresser, the one I'd given her, Taylor had several band posters, a few martial arts posters, and several photos. The walls reminded me of Hayley's first roommate, or her first roommate in the time I knew her. And there was stuff everywhere. A bit bemused at this very obvious difference between the girls I picked my way across the room to Taylor's bed.

Setting myself on the edge I caught sight of one of her photos, she and Kim and Jason at some sort of event. Motioning to it I asked where it had been taken. I was a little taken aback to discover it had been taken when she got her green belt four months before. "Wow" was really all the response I could give.

"I could show you some moves," she said, moving to get out of bed, but like I'd done with her sister I stopped her. I used to be a kid; I'm wise to the moves they'll pull to put off going to bed.

"Not now sweetheart. You have school tomorrow, you've got to get some sleep."

"I don't want to go to school tomorrow."

"Too bad. School's important, you have to go." She pouted but I wasn't going to give in. I remember not wanting to go to school but my mom always made me go and my girls will go as well. Besides, as a teacher I can't condone skipping classes. "Sleep tight sweetheart, don't let the bedbugs bite." I dropped a kiss on her forehead as well and left, again not completely closing the door.

When I got downstairs Jason had disappeared but Kim had once again curled up in her chair. As I settled into the chair closest, also overstuffed and very comfortable, she looked kind of curious but she restrained her curiosity admirable. We sat in silence for several minutes until, finally, she couldn't stand waiting any longer, always impatient my Kim.

"What did you want to talk about Tommy? I thought we'd already talked about everything. I thought we'd settled it all." Okay apparently she's also nervous and not just curious. But did she really think we'd talked about everything?

I lifted an eyebrow before responding. "We may have talked about the matter of you keeping Amanda and Taylor from me for the last 10 years and we may have agreed to put it behind us but we have by no means talked about everything. I had two things I wanted to talk about with you. I'm sure at some later point I'll have more to say to you. Are you going to be surprised every time I want to talk to you?"

"I didn't think we had anything to talk about," she said defensively. "I haven't seen you in days."

"Maybe that's part of what I wanted to talk about."

"Is it?"

"Sort of. It's connected to part of what I wanted to discuss." I looked at her and decided the fastest way through the minefield this conversation was going to become was to be as blunt as possible. At least now, maybe I'd be more tactful when I discussed the girls but for now, this part about us, I was just going to attack straight out. "Why are you pulling away from me? You've gone out of your way to avoid me since Friday. Why? I thought we'd agreed that we were gonna try this again."

"I'm not," she said finally, defensively. "I've just been . . . busy."

"Bullshit. You're avoiding me. You were a little distant when I got here for dinner Friday night and that was fine but that distance has been getting worse, not better." I looked her straight in the eye. "Why are you giving up on us already Kim? I'm not and I won't."

"But we've changed so much. I watched you that night. You were amazing with them but you're not the person I remember. How can we possibly do this?"

I closed my eyes briefly. Yes I'd suspected she was pretty much pulling away and giving up but this was different. To know that the spark, the connection between us was still there and to have her decide and actually say to me that she was going to give that up hurt. It hurt a lot. But this time I was not going to let that hurt get in the way of what it was I wanted. "If you come at it that way Kim," I said finally, "we aren't going to be able to make it work. We have to believe we can make it work. We get to know each other again. We talk, like we used to. We can do this, but you have to be willing to try."

"I'm afraid to try. I don't want to get hurt." I was incredulous but she wasn't done just yet." And I don't want my girls to get hurt. I have more to think of now then just myself. I have to think about my girls too and what's best for them.'

It's surprising how fast hurt can turn to anger. I went from hurt to furious in about 3 seconds flat. "Are you insinuating that I would ever hurt you or those girls? How can you know me so little? I love you with all of my heart Kimberly and I already love those little girls as much as any father has ever loved his children. I'm not capable of hurting any of you. If anyone should be worried about being hurt here it's not you, it's me. You've already shown once that you're capable of throwing my love back in my face, what's to stop you from doing it again? But I'm not willing to let that fear stop me. We have something here Kim, something special. You weren't afraid of it 10 years ago, what the hell is so different now?" I glared at her from where I stood; at some point I'd stood up and started pacing, and waited, rather impatiently, for her to reply. I was pretty sure I'd yelled at least part of that but it hadn't made me feel any better, anger was still pumping through my veins.

"What's different now is 10 years of separation. 10 years in which you haven't really talked to any of our former friends. How in the hell am I supposed to know who you are now?"

"By talking to me. By getting to know me."

"And what do I do in the meantime, jump into a relationship with you? Embroil my girls in something that might break their hearts? They mean to much to me to chance them getting hurt." Now she was yelling but then I think we both had been. And I couldn't help it, after her last sentence I snorted in derision. Her eyes narrowed and her face took on that steely cast that I remember from the old days, one I had hoped to never seen aimed at me but I was mad enough not to care. "And just what," she asked in a deadly quiet voice, "is that supposed to mean?"

"It means you're so damn busy trying to figure out how to keep me from hurting you or the girls that you don't see how much you're hurting them."

"I'm hurting them? And pray tell Tommy" she said my name with such derision I was hard put not to wince, "how am I hurting my daughters?"

"When was the last time you did something with Amanda, just the two of you?" I asked, answering her question with a question.

"What does that have to do with this?"

"Everything, now answer the question."

"I don't know. Jason usually does stuff with her."

"And that's my point. Do you have any idea how much she's hurting? Even when you take both of them out most of your attention is on Taylor. You're ignoring her Kim and it's seriously hurting her. And you're not doing Taylor any favors either. She's well on her way to being a spoiled brat."

"Oh and you're one to give me advice. Where were you before?"

"Right where you left me. Don't blame me for not being involved. You dumped me, not the other way around. You're the one that decided not to tell me about the girls. Don't you dare try to blame me for what you've done wrong."

"You're the one who couldn't hang up the uniform for any length of time."

"Don't try to bring that into this. That has absolutely nothing to do with this. I was only a Ranger for 2 years out of the last 10, not the entire period, not even half of that period. And that's not the issue here anyway. The problem here is the fact that you ignore Amanda in favor of Taylor. It has to stop Kim, you have to be more fair with them."

"She's perfectly happy spending time with Jason. And they get along better."

"No, she's not. And have you tried getting along with her? Or did you just make some sort of decision which you now justify by what you think should happen instead of what is happening?"

"Are you saying I voluntarily chose to spend more time with Taylor?"

"I don't know, do you? Because it's obvious that you do spend more time with her."

"Oh and you're such an expert after two days."

"I talk to people. I spent all day with Amanda and I talked to her. She never out and said it, she'd never do that but it was obvious anyway. And I talked to Jason. He told me plenty. And I have eyes. I see things. I watch. You give away more then you realize by your behavior."

"Oh, so now I'm a terrible mother?"

"Those words never came out of my mouth. I think you're a good mother but that maybe you could be a bit better."

"And I'm sure you think you're a wonderful father."

"Actually I don't. I know I have a lot to learn, but I'm willing to do it. The question is, are you?"

"How dare you!"

"I dare because I care. She hurts Kim and that hurts."

"So, two days and you're already on her side. And you accused me of playing favorites."

"I'm not playing favorites. I'm telling it as it is. But apparently you're not willing to hear the truth." Unable to take anymore of the argument I stalked out of the living room and just managed to restrain the urge to slam the front door behind me.

I drove home in an almost blind rage and somehow made it without killing myself or anyone else. By the time I got there a lot of the rage had bled off and I was beginning to really think about our argument. Parking I dropped my head on to the steering wheel. "What have I done?" I whispered to myself.

Later that night I was just lying there sleeplessly when I came up with a new plan. I'll give her some time to cool off and then I'll apologize, but make sure she knows I don't think I was wrong. And we'll see where it goes from there. As content with this as it was possible to be considering we were fighting again and I didn't really see a peaceable solution in our future I rolled over and finally managed to fall asleep.

A.N: So the anxiously awaited confrontation between our interpid hero and heroine has finally occured. I liked it if I do say so myself. So did the person who was reading it over my shoulder as I wrote it out during class. But moving on to other things. This story got a bit longer then intended and will be 10 chapters and an epilogue. The epilogue just sort of happened. Actually chapter 10 happened and what had been 10 ended up being shorter so it got bumped to an epilogue. But you have one extra chapter to look forward to. And as a warning I don't know if I'll be able to post next week. It's finals week, otherwise known as hell on earth, and I'm nowhere near ready. So if I get a chance I'll post since I do have ch. 8 typed already but I make no guarantees.


	8. Chapter 8

A.N: Sorry about the length before this update. As I said in my last post last week was finals week and I was a little busy. Today time got away from me, my first day at home when I was able to go out and finish my Christmas shopping. But its done now! So anyway, this chapter is in a different point of view, Kim's. I thought it would be nice to see somethings from her side for a change. So anywhere here it is.

Long after Tommy had gone I remained in the living room. I'd paced for a while and then I'd give up and dropped back into my armchair. I was absolutely positively incensed that he'd made such accusations. He'd been back in our lives for a grand total of four days and already he was passing judgments. And I couldn't decide which of his accusations pissed me off the most, the cowardice charge of the bad mother one. No, I could decide, the thing that pissed me off the most was myself, even when he's insulting me on damn near every level I want nothing more then to grab onto him and never let go.

I don't understand how he can be so damn blasé about just jumping back into a relationship. We almost had sex on my office couch for crying out loud. Even if we do start a relationship we really need to take it a bit slower then that. But he doesn't appear to think that we may not be compatible anymore. Just because the sexual chemistry is still there doesn't mean that we are still there, it doesn't mean that the magic that made us Kim and Tommy still exists.

I used to think it did. Hell four days ago I was in the same position he is now. I was sure we could resume our previous relationship. I believed that as long as we still felt for each other then once we'd cleared the air of the secrets I'd kept then we'd be good. But then Tommy and I had our little talk and while it went well that's what scares me. He yelled but not enough. He took it much to calmly in my opinion and that scares me. Even though he said we'd put it behind us and move on I'm afraid he's going to want to get revenge. But then Tommy doesn't do revenge. So the fact that he's so accepting of this confuses me and I hate being confused.

He was right in one aspect. I am pulling away from him, but that's because the rule have changed. I came to Reefside thinking I knew what to expect but he's thrown me a slider instead of a fastball and I'm really caught off guard. And now that I don't know what to expect I have to pull back and reassess. Contrary to what I told him I'm not worried he'll hurt the girls, they're innocent and Tommy would never hurt the innocent but me . . . I'm no innocent. But even then I'm not completely worried, or even really worried he'll hurt me. I'm fairly certain that even with the provocation I've given him he'll never intentionally hurt me. But accidentally?

But there's more to it then that. As much as I wanted the connection between us to still exist the apparent strength of it has caught me very off guard. Despite not seeing him for 10 years I feel like I know him, but then I feel like I don't. Sometimes I can still read him but he's learned to hide what he's thinking, a skill he did not possess when we were teenagers. And I know he can still read me, and because I've not developed the impassive shield he has he can read me more then I can read him.

Hell, it doesn't even make sense in my own mind. I want the connection but I don't. I want Tommy but I'm afraid of what that means. I want to make a relationship between us work and I want to run away and hide. I've had friends tell me they felt indecisive in a relationship before but personally I'd never experienced it and now I have no clue how to handle it. But he still shouldn't accuse me of being a coward. Confusion doesn't make you a coward, it makes you confused and being confused could look cowardly but its not. I'm not staying away from him because I'm afraid of him, I'm staying away because I don't know what I want to do.

But him calling me a coward pales in comparison to him calling me a bad mother. I've done my best by those girls considering the situation and I would be willing to die for either one of them if the situation called for it. Maybe I do spend a lot more time with Taylor but Amanda has never once complained. And I spend plenty of time with her. But it's damn hard to split your time equally when you have twins with completely different tastes. They do two sets of activities, sports, and clubs, they have two sets of friends, and to be honest they don't agree on much. And maybe I gravitate towards Taylor a bit more because her tastes are so much more similar to my own, but surely it's not as bad as Tommy says.

I dropped my head on the back of the chair with a sigh. Trying to figure all this out was giving me a god-awful headache. And I really had no idea how to fix the mess we found ourselves in now. Discouraged I stared at the ceiling for a while. I was going to have to deal with this but damned if I know how.

The next morning I cornered Jason at the studio after dropping the girls off at school. Since he'd apparently been telling Tommy shit about my parenting style he could share with me as well. I can't really deal with this situation until I know what it is I'm dealing with. But he wasn't really all that helpful. He told me that for the most part he agreed with Tommy, that I had been ignoring Amanda and dumping her on him when I had no interest in what it was she was doing. He told me that there were times when he felt like he was a single dad raising a daughter with help from an aunt then the uncle helping the single mom.

So I got mad because he was agreeing with Tommy and also essentially accusing me of being a bad mother and also because he hadn't come to me with his accusations. It really pissed me off that he'd told Tommy that he harbored these concerns but he hadn't told me. It concerned me first and foremost after all; I was the parent under attack here. And it really didn't sit well that Jason had painted a bad picture of me to Tommy. I want him to see me as a wonderful mother and a great person. I want him to be attracted to me and I know if he thinks of me as a bad mom he will not be attracting, having a family means too much to him, or did anyway, now I don't know.

But anyway, Jason and I got into quite the yelling match and spent the rest of the day working in separate parts of the building. The only time we spoke all day was when I left to get the girls and start the afternoon juggling act of sports, clubs and friends. This went on for the rest of the week. We spoke to each other only when necessary and sometimes not even then. There were a couple of days when the extent of our contact with each other was notes left were we knew they would be found. During this time Tommy was incommunicado as well. The girls were asking after him but I couldn't tell them a thing. I'd tried asking Hayley since they really wanted to see him but if she knew where he was she wasn't telling.

I did find out on Friday that he hadn't been to work since Tuesday, that he'd asked for an indefinite leave of absence but hadn't given a reason. The weekend passed with no improvement in the situation. Tommy was still missing, Jason and I weren't speaking, and to add to it Amanda and Taylor were fighting. With everyone, with the exception of Tommy's rangers, well Kira really since as far as I know they hadn't met or spent anytime with the others. But Kira had been a doll and taken them out for a while on Saturday, getting them out of the tense atmosphere our house had become. I tried asking her if she knew where Tommy had gone but she sidestepped the question neatly and didn't give me any other chances to ask it.

Sunday night though I overheard a conversation, well a fight more correctly, between Amanda and Taylor that really made me think. I'd been going up to ask what they wanted for lunch the next day when I heard them arguing. I hurried my steps so as to break the fight up and had just reached the door to Taylor's room when I heard something that made me stop dead in the hallway. I edged a little closer and listened to what they were saying, really hearing it for maybe the first time.

"It's all your fault" Taylor said, and it sounded like she was close to tears. "What did you do to make daddy go away?"

"I didn't do anything," Amanda said defensively. "You talked to him last, not me. It's your fault he left us again. He had fun with me and uncle Jason."

"Going to a museum?" I was surprised at the derision in Taylor's voice. "Yeah, right. He would have had more fun with me and mommy. You and uncle Jason are boring. That's why mommy always picks to do stuff with me, you're boring."

"No, I'm not. And daddy wanted to go to the museum. He even got his friend to open it up just for us."

"You lie."

"No I don't! Ask uncle Jason. Daddy called uncle Zack and he gave us a special tour." I wanted to ask for clarification, uncle Zack? But I stayed where I was, unable to move. Even I could hear how hard Amanda was trying to prove to her sister, and to herself, that Tommy had enjoyed the time he'd spent with her."

"Liar! I hate you cause you made daddy go away."

"Well I hate you cause you always hog mommy. You're such a baby. Always crying if mommy won't do something with you. She's my mommy too."

"Well I get to keep her cause you chased daddy away. You can have uncle Jason."

"I want mommy. Uncle Jason's awesome and fun but I want my mommy too. It's not fair! You get her all the time. There are two of us, you have to share!"

Before Taylor could respond I regained control and stepped to the bedroom door. Both girls froze when they saw me and quickly shut their mouths, a good sign of the mood I'd been in all week since they only ceased arguing like that when I was really upset. "What's going on here girls?" I asked even though I knew full well what they'd been doing.

"Nothing." They said simultaneously in that eerie way twins have.

"Really?" I raised an eyebrow. "It sounded to me like you girls were fighting. "It sounded to me like you girls were fighting."

Neither of them would admit to it and I knew that. Jason and I were very strict about the girls fighting with each other. But what they'd been fighting about gave me pause. I wanted to think about what I'd heard, not supervise punishments. At the same time, however, I couldn't not punish them. That would set a dangerous precedent. Finally I hit upon an idea. Jason was in the kitchen doing some paperwork for the center we were opening so he could serve as supervision.

"I want the two of you to go downstairs and put your lunches together for tomorrow." I said, knowing full well they hated doing that. "Then you're to come back up here, and go to your own rooms. No TV, internet or video games tonight." I saw Taylor was about to protest because her favorite show was on tonight but I just stared until she closed her mouth again. "Perhaps in the future you'll reconsider fighting."

Finished I headed down the hall to my own room. I had plenty to think about. I wasn't worried about loosing the girls in the kitchen. Jason and I may be fighting but our habits with the girls were ingrained. He'd know when they showed up in the kitchen that they were being punished and he'd keep them in line. Just as he'd know that the rest of their punishment was to spend the rest of the night in their rooms. We'd long ago agreed on a couple of basic punishments so that they wouldn't receive a harsher punishment from one of us rather than the other. We'd gone to great lengths to insure that neither of us would be taken advantage of by the big brown eyes of my girls.

As I closed the door to my bedroom I realized just how odd our relationship was. It had never really occurred to me before but suddenly I could see why people might assume that we were married. At least as far as Taylor and Amanda are concerned we are like a married couple. Or at least like parents. But Jason wasn't their father. I sagged against the door as I remembered Jason telling me he felt like a single father some days. Things were starting to become clear to me and I didn't like the view.

I slipped to the floor, my back propped against the door, as I stared unseeingly into the room. Instead of the room I saw various snippets of how Jason had been much more then an uncle. And every time he was doing something he did it with Amanda. Focusing on the three months since we'd moved to Reefside I tried to think of a single time I'd done something with just Amanda. I did what Tommy had asked and casting my mind back I tried to remember the last time I'd done something with just Amanda. Coming up blank in the period of time since we'd moved to Reefside I thought back even further to when we'd lived in Florida but I couldn't think of anything within the last year.

A tear slipped down my cheek as I realized that Tommy and Jason were right, I had been ignoring my younger daughter. And they were right that there was no excuse for it. Maybe I didn't really understand her penchant for team sports but that was no excuse for pretty much never going to her games. And maybe she wasn't into the really girly stuff the way her twin was but that was no reason for never taking her on a mommy and me shopping trip. And there were plenty of other things we could do together. Thing's I'd avoided doing with her because I was unsure how to relate to her or because I didn't want to deal with the fit Taylor would throw.

That was another thing Tommy was right about. Taylor is spoiled. There's not being on her way to it about it. She's spoiled. My distaste for highly charged scenes with screaming people had led to way to much pacification where she was involved. I didn't have to do a lot of thinking to come up with several instances in which she'd thrown a fit and gotten something she's wanted out of it, usually from me. Jason was better with her in that respect, which was probably part of why she preferred doing things with me. I did them her way, Jason was as guaranteed to fall.

I buried my face against my knees and muffled a sob as tears began to course down my face. I was a terrible mother. I'd been entrusted with the care of two beautiful girls and I'd failed them both. I'd ignored one and spoiled the other. I'd made one into a brat and the other into someone who didn't realize her own worth. The miracle was that Tommy hadn't decided to fight me for full custody considering the mess I'd made of raising our girls.

I don't know how long I sat there on the floor crying quietly but eventually the tears slowed and stopped, but still I didn't move. I sat there unmoving. Now that I saw it, it was all so clear. I wasn't sure how I'd missed it before but all the signs were right there in front of my face. The question to be answered is how was I going to fix this mess I'd made? By the time I finally pulled myself to my feet I was sore from having sat in one position on the wood floor for so long. I did a few stretches to work out the worst of the soreness and then glanced at the clock. I was startled to see it wasn't that late, only 9:30 or so.

I headed down the hallway to make sure the girls were getting ready for bed a bit suspicious of the lack of noise coming from their end. Peering into Taylor's room I was surprised to see it empty but hearing the shower running I figured out where she was quickly. Continuing down the hall I poked my head into Amanda's room and had to bite back a laugh. She'd apparently already showered since her long hair was pulled back into a damp braid and she was wearing the white ranger pajamas we'd bought at the mall kiosk. That wasn't what made me want to laugh though. She'd apparently curled up on her bed to study and was now lying half on, half off the bed with her face buried in the crease of her French book.

Walking softly into the room I carefully eased the book out from under her head. Closing it I put it on the nightstand, but not before I made a face at it. She definitely didn't get her love of learning from me. I'd been stunned when she told me that she was taking French this year but I hadn't complained. She was definitely smart enough for it. Turning back to my task I gently pushed her all the way onto the bed and then yanked at the covers until I got them out from under her and her under them instead. I smoothed them around her shoulders and then leaned down to press a gentle kiss to her forehead.

"Good night sweetheart." I murmured before turning off the bedside lamp and leaving the room. Closing the door behind myself I found myself staring at Jason who'd apparently come up to check on them. "She's out." I told him softly, hating the way he looked at me. "Can we talk after I get Taylor to bed? Please?" I added, seeing he was about to refuse. "I really think we need to talk."

"Fine. I'll meet you downstairs." He opened the door and entered Amanda's room as I headed down the hall to Taylor's. She was just getting dressed when I arrived and was in bed in minutes. Jason came in as I was telling her goodnight and I headed downstairs as he took his turn. When he came down a minute later I was already waiting for him in the living room.

"What did you want to talk about?" He asked shortly from the doorway.

"To apologize. You were right. You and Tommy were both right." I could see from the surprise on his face that this wasn't at all what he'd been expecting to hear. "I've been ignoring Amanda and more then that I've been spoiling Taylor. And I've been taking shameless advantage of you. Just because you agreed all those years ago to help me out is no reason to treat you like you're their dad. Or worse. I've been using you more as like a babysitter for the unwanted child. And I'm sorry." I'd been so caught up in what I was telling him that I was caught off guard when he pulled me into a hug.

"Don't worry Firebird." He murmured in my ear. "You're forgiven. And really I don't mind being treated like their dad, or I didn't. Tommy might object now."

I giggled but quickly sobered. "If he comes back."

"He will. I don't know where he's gone but he'll be back."

"He'd better or I'm gonna have to hunt him down and kill him for breaking my girls' hearts."

"I'll help if necessary, but I won't need to."

We changed the subject and discussed other things, things we'd neglected over the last week and as I climbed the stairs that night I felt better. I had a lot of work to do in repairing my relationships with both Tommy and Amanda but things were clearer to me now. I was determined to get back both my man and my daughter. And I was going to start immediately, with Amanda since Tommy had disappeared. But it would be his turn when he showed back up again. I'd been down but I was back in the game and I was determined to win.


	9. Chapter 9

A.N: Okay here's Chapter 9, we've switched back to Tommy's Point of View, just so you don't get to confused. And the events in this, well they came out of left field, but they will be explained in more detail when I start putting up Snippets, this part's already written. As for next weeks post, I'll be in Kansas visiting a friend of mine so I don't know if I'll be able to post, I don't know what the internet access is like at her house. But, I have written a small Christmas story, TK obviously, and will be posting that tomorrow. So it's something right? Anyway look for Last Christmas tomorrow and enjoy Chapter 9.

I dropped onto my bed with an exhausted sigh. With a supreme effort I turned my head to read the glowing numbers of my alarm clock and with a groan closed my aching eyes. The only thing to go right in recent memory was that the numbers showed it was way to late, or early depending on how you looked at it, to call anybody. That reprieve meant I was off the hook for telling people where I'd been until I got some much-needed sleep. As bad as I felt for being gone for a week it was for a good reason, and it was now to late to do anything about it. A particularly vile curse directed at Andros was my last conscious thought before the hell of the last week took its toll on my body and I slipped into an exhausted slumber.

Three hours later I woke to sunshine pouring across my face. Highly unamused to have my sleep interrupted in such a rude fashion I dragged myself across the room and shut the blinds. On the way back to my soft, comfortable, inviting bed I shed cloths like a white cat on a black shirt. Wearing just a pair of black cotton boxers I curled into the nice jersey sheets and gave myself back up to the arms of Morpheous. Responsibilities be damned, sleep is very important.

Eight hours later the ringing phone woke me up again. Feeling much more charitable now that a major dent had been put into my exhaustion I actually answered the phone instead of calling curses down on the head of whoever the hell it was that was calling at 2:45 in the afternoon. Of course I regretted it pretty much right away since it was a frantic with worry Hayley on the other end but I was feeling charitable when I picked it up. And to be honest I wasn't annoyed with her. No, the annoyance was all for Andros. It was his damn fault I was in all this trouble to begin with.

With a start I realized Hayley was in the process of informing me that she'd be right over to check on me herself and I blanched. Not a good idea. She'd tell Kim and Jason what I'd brought back and that was a very bad idea. That was the epitome of a bad idea. That was the sort of bad idea that could get a man killed. "No, no I'm good." I broke in hastily. "Just tired. You stay at the Café, I'll take a shower, grab some food, take care of a few things here and then I'll come down and you can see for yourself that I'm fine."

I could practically feel the reluctance oozing down the line as Hayley tried to come up with a reason for why she has to come out to my house. She knew something was up, probably Ranger related since this was me, and she wanted to grill me before I could get together a cover story. She wouldn't be able to grill me at all at that café, at least not well, and then I'd have even more time to get together a really good cover story. And more then that, she couldn't leave the café. She couldn't afford to close and she doesn't have any midday help. I grinned but was very careful to keep it out of my voice as I concluded our conversation.

As soon as I hung up the phone I shot out of bed. The first thing to do was make sure the stuff I'd brought back was carefully hidden. There was not gonna be a repeat of how the Dino Thunder team came to be if I had any say in it. Not that I regretted it or anything, but still. That was my fault because I left the Gems out in the open, that won't be a mistake I'll repeat. Though they're only on my hands for a little while, until Andros gets things set up.

I skidded to a halt in the dining room as I remembered Andros handing me the bag of gems.

_"I need you to watch these for me Tommy." Andros said, handing me the leather pouch that contained the gem's we'd stolen from the palace of what Andros assured me was the number one baddie in the area. A baddie who fortunately didn't know what he had, or what he formerly had since they were in our possession now._

_"No way." I said raising my hands before they touched it. "I came along to help you on your little retrieval mission which is gonna get me in enough trouble. I'm not going to watch these. Kim will murder me for brining Ranger stuff near the girls."_

_"Come on. I need you to do it, no one else can."_

_And of course he knew appealing to my pride would get me to agree. "Fine." I snatched it from him, careful to keep my hands near the top and far from the gems it contained. Even with the leather between us I don't trust them. The Morphin' Grid has a very warped sense of humor when it comes to me. "How long?"_

_"I dunno. When I get things ready, squared away, talk to some people." He was vague but I shrugged it off._

"Son of a bitch" I muttered, seeing now the twinkle to his eye I'd missed before. "The stupid ass tricked me. He won't be back for them. He's gonna leave me to figure all this out by myself. No way in hell." I resumed my interrupted trek to the lab, all the while planning how I was going to inform Andros that I was onto him.

The first thing I did when I got to the lab, after being nuzzled and pushed and otherwise examined by three anxious raptors, was to pull the bag from its temporary hiding place in the hidden safe behind the desk, a hidey hole Hayley knew about and would undoubtedly look in at the first opportunity, and take it to the far wall where we had set up replica's of our uniforms. Unlocking the glass I slipped the pouch into Conner's right boot and then relocked the cabinet and set the security alarm that had been installed shortly before I left on my little adventure. Looking it over I smirked. From here it was impossible to tell they were there. Hayley would never find them.

Ensured of my continued survival I stalked over to the console and punched in the sequence that would connect me to the Astro Megaship. After a moment the screen went blue with the Space Rangers symbol floating in it in silver splendor and DECA's voice was telling me I was on hold.

I growled. "DECA, you don't put people on hold. Let me talk to Andros or I'll have to rip out some circuitry."

The picture cleared instantly and I found myself looking at the Silver Ranger. His blond hair looked liked he'd been running his fingers through it, a very odd look for the usually well-kept playboy. "Tommy," he greeted me, surprise evident in his voice. "How did you get through?"

"He threatened my circuitry" I head the ship reply. "I consider such threats to be of quite the serious nature and I will not participate in this foolishness if it endangers myself."

I smirked at Zhane's stunned expression. "Know thy enemy." I let my eyes chill and harden. "Where the hell is Andros? I want to talk to him and I want to do so now." I could see him hesitating so I merely glared at him with a look I'd perfected as the Green Ranger, the evil one.

"Andros!" he yelled, looking away from me. "Get your ass over here. Somebody wants to kick it into next month." He moved away from the console but wasn't quite out of range of the mics when he muttered "I think he knows."

"What can I do for you Tommy?" Andros asked as he moved on screen.

"You can come get these damn gems. Now. I'm not doing this again."

"Well, see I can't do that. I bring home those gems and Ashley will be very very pissed. Beyond pissed. And I don't want to spend the rest of my life sleeping on the couch."

"Oh, so you can ruin my life? I can't take them either. I'm this close to getting Kim back and I have children to think about."

"But you're the legend."

"I'm retired." I shot back. "I've done my bit. So, get your ass back here and pick these things up or I'll take a little trip to Angel Grove and give them to Ashley with your compliments."

"You wouldn't."

"Try me." We glared impotently at each other for a bit, neither of us willing to budge.

"Why don't we have a meeting," Zhane suggested from somewhere off screen. "Find someone to take them. Or bury them somewhere until they're needed."

"Bury" I muttered, my mind tumbling. "That's it. We'll take them to the Command Center and hide them. It may be destroyed but there are tons of defenses in place still. And a lot of stuff sill works. We could add some more to the defenses if we need to. It's perfect."

That was how I found myself walking into Hayley's much, much later then I'd originally planned. We'd taken that trip to Angel Grove about an hour after I'd come up with it and the gems were now hidden in one of the safest places we could think of. Despite the crowd, or perhaps because of it, people demanding to know where I'd been immediately surrounded me. Hayley shoved through the crowd and yanked me to the bar where she pushed me down onto a stool.

"Spill" she ordered.

"An old friend of mine called," I said, starting the story I'd rehearsed in my mind a thousand times. "He needed some help, it was pretty important and he really needed my kind of help," I said stressing the 'my' and jerking my chin a bit towards my left wrist. To most of the crowd it probably looked defensive but to Hayley and Kira it told them that I'd been needed on Ranger business. "There were some problems, that was what delayed us in getting back but it's all good now." I gave her my most charming smile. "And I'm dying for a strawberry-pineapple smoothie."

She relented and gave me a hug. "Don't think you're off the hook," she whispered in my ear. "I caught the reference. That's all that's saving you now." She pulled back and after giving me a slight shove she went behind the counter to make me the smoothie I'd not so subtly hinted I wanted.

Most of the crowd dispersed, sure that the 'my kind of help' was dinosaur related and they didn't really care about bones. Finally I was left alone with Kira and Conner, both of whom were glaring at me. "No I couldn't take you." I said before they could say anything. "It was stealth. I'm the only one who went, my friend just gave me a lift. He didn't even get to share the fun with me. And if I could have taken you guys I would have. Okay?"

The looks on their faces were priceless, shock, guilt, annoyance, and a bunch of other emotions were fighting, and it was funny. Both of them nodded their agreement however and sat down, one on either side of me. After a moment they began to catch me up on the news and gossip I'd missed while I was gone.

Not to long after that Hayley closed up and kicked us out. Still feeling the effects of my little adventure, plus my day of finding a hiding spot, I begged of going somewhere, God knows where, with Kira and Conner and instead headed for home. I'd changed and was just getting ready to crawl into bed about 2 hours later when I heard a car in the driveway. I peered out the window and was amused to see the two Mustangs parked side by side, a red vintage and a yellow in the new style. I was even more amused to see that when Kira tripped over a loose stone on the path and Conner caught her they just stared at each other for a long moment before Conner lowered his head and kissed her. "Finally" I muttered, turning away from the window. Crawling into bed I realized I was a lot more tired then I thought because I was instantly asleep.

I came down the stairs the next morning to find Conner asleep on my sofa. Shaking my head I went to start a pot of coffee and then returned to the living room and turned on the TV to catch the morning news. I watched with a grin as he rolled off the sofa looking around wildly for the trouble when noise exploded in the room. I winced a bit at the volume but hid it behind the amusement.

"What the hell Dr. O?" He demanded when he saw me standing there calmly. "I was sleeping."

"I noticed. But you were doing so on my sofa." I sat in one corner. "It's not like you don't have a bed at home, or at school. And you were in my way. I did consider pushing you off."

"Thanks." He sat at the other end and rubbed his eyes. "God, what time is it?"

"Little after nine. Coffee's on and should be done in a couple of minutes. I assume I'm gonna have to feed you to?" He looked so pathetically hopeful at the mention of food that I sighed. "Just like Rocky. Don't you have parents to eat out of house and home? Why must you eat all of my food instead? I'm just a high school science teacher."

"Your place is more fun." He shrugged. "And don't act like Mercer doesn't pay for like half your bills out of gratitude and guild. Cause there is no way he's putting all the rest of us through college and not doing anything for you."

I glared. "Why are you here Conner."

"Kira." He said simply, and then shrugged. "Last night we were gonna drag your adventure out of you but then . . ." he shrugged again, "other stuff came up."

Rolling my eyes I was grateful to hear the timer on the coffee go off. Caffeine was definitely going to be helpful if I was going to be dealing with a lovesick Conner. Just because I'd had plenty of sleep did not mean I was equipped to deal with this without lots of fortification. Maybe I have some Kalua lying around, or whiskey, something to give the coffee a bit of a kick.

Several hours later I found myself at the Café, finally free of the new duo. They were more annoying now that they were dating then they were when they were dancing around each other and their feelings. Certain I now understood what Jason and the rest of the gang had gone through back when Kim and I first got together I vowed to find some way to make it up to them. It was enough to make a man ill.

I'd made it about 10 feet into the room when a brown and green blur hit me and we both went down. The happy squeal of delight that had accompanied the blur told me I was holding one of the twins, the question was which one. A quick look down solved that problem easily enough.

"Hey there imp." I pulled both of us back to our feet and dusted myself off. I'd broken her fall so Amanda was spotless, though I did do a quick check. "What are you doing here?"

"Me and mommy came to get smoothies while Taylor's at karate class." She dragged me over to the table where Kim sat. "We're talking about stuff," she said excitedly. "And then we're gonna go to the store to buy me new cleats when we finish our drinks."

"New cleats huh? Pretty exciting." I looked at Kim. "Hello," I said cautiously, not sure what type of response I was going to get.

"Tommy. Won't you sit down? Amanda, go ask Hayley for a smoothie for you dad." Amanda ran off and she looked at me seriously. "We have to talk. Soon. I'll come to your place tonight after I've got the girls in bed, so sometime around 10. That okay?"

"Sure." Amanda came back at that point and the query I'd been forming died unsaid. Instead I found myself explaining why I'd missed her field hockey game that weekend. I could tell Kim was suspicious of my 'helping a friend in need' story but if she intended to question me about it she had no intention of doing so in front of Amanda. Instead I found myself promising not to leave town again without saying goodbye.

Shortly after that they left and I found myself anxiously waiting for 10 pm to come. Having no idea what she wanted to discuss made the whole thing more then a little nerve wracking. I tried helping Hayley but she soon banished me because I was to absentminded to be of any help so I found myself at home cleaning things I hadn't cleaned in years, if ever.

Finally 10 pm came and not long after there was a knock on the door. Opening it I let Kim in, took her coat and offered her a drink, which she declined. We sat in the living room and almost as soon as we were settled she began to speak.

"I'm sorry Tommy. I totally jumped down your throat when you brought up your issues with how the girls were being raised and I was wrong. I've thought about it, talked about it, and heard them fighting about it and I've come to realize that you were right and I was wrong. I was ignoring Amanda and spoiling Taylor. You saw what I missed.

And I didn't mean to hurt you. I know I did but I didn't mean to. It's just you were pointing out to me things that I think even then I knew were true. The ugly truth but the truth nonetheless. And that's really no excuse but it's all I've got. I didn't want to hear what you had to say so I shut you out.

And you were right about the other thing to. I was acting like a coward. I was pulling away out of fear, but you've never given me any reason to fear. You've never done anything that would deliberately hurt me and I really don't believe you ever would. It's just that things were moving so fast that I wasn't really ready. Before I could adjust to the fact that you not only knew about the girls but also wanted to be part of their lives we were making out like hormonal teenagers and would likely have tried to make another little one if we hadn't been stopped. But an hour before that you hated me. It just went to fast and it made me afraid that all we had between us was this flash, this last lingering frustration because of the way we broke up. And I was afraid to find out if that was true or not."

There was silence for a minute while I tried to figure out how to respond to what she'd just said. Even though there wasn't much there that surprised me I wasn't sure how to respond to it. Finally I decided to tender my own apologies and wing it from there.

"I'm sorry too Kim. I shouldn't have told you the way I did even though I felt like I was right. I'm not surprised you got defensive the way you did because I came on way to strong. I don't know how else I could have handled it but I do know I should have handled it better, both about the girls and about us. And I definitely should have been more patient. It's just . . ." I trailed off and rubbed my hands across my face in frustration. "It's just that I was impatient because I don't have the same fears you do. And I've never been one to sit back and wait for what I want, you know that. I go charging in and I take it. And it's the same when I see something I think is wrong. I go charging in to fix it. I shouldn't have but it's hard to stop your nature."

She grinned at me, strained but there. "You never could resist a damsel in distress. This time there were two of us. Maybe even three though I don't think Taylor would agree with that even if it is true. Just as much as Amanda was saved from neglect she was saved from over-parenting."

"That's two. What did I save you from?"

"From myself."

"Does that mean if I ask you if you will go to dinner with me tomorrow night you'll agree?"

"You can try it and see." She gave me a mischievous grin.

"Guess I'm not going to find out then. I have no intention of asking." The cocky grin slipped a bit and I finished my thought. "I'm not taking any chances. I'm telling you that we're going to dinner tomorrow night. You might want to make sure you've got a sitter." I faked pain as she promptly punched me in the shoulder. "I'll take that as a sign of your agreement then." I stood and got out of range quickly. "I'll pick you up at 6:30, wear something dressy." I headed out of the room but then stuck my head back around the doorway. "Make it sexy too." And then got myself scarce.

A few moments later I heard the front door open and close and then her car pull away. Grinning I turned off lights, locked up, and headed up to bed. Things were by no means settled between us but they were definitely looking up.


	10. Chapter 10

A.N: So even though I warned you this might not go up last week I'd still like to apologize. But my friend has dial-up and her computer didn't like my USB key so it just wasn't going up no matter what. But here it is now. So enjoy. Next chapter's the last one. sniff

The next evening I pulled into Kim's driveway at 6:28. Pleased that I'd managed to be early, which would almost certainly shock her if nothing else, I bounded up the steps but before I could knock on the door it had been yanked open. I dropped to a knee as the twins flew out and gathered them both in for a hug. Hearing a chuckle I looked up to see Jason leaning against the doorway.

"Looks good on you, fatherhood." He said in response to my raised eyebrow. "You might want to come on in. She's not ready yet, she was expecting you to be late."

I stood and followed the girls into the house. "The new me tries not to be late."

"The new you is gonna be waiting a lot then. The old Tommy was usually ready at the same time as Kim, you'll be waiting. Girls take forever."

"That's fine. You sitting tonight?"

"Yup. Zack's gonna come over and we're gonna watch a game or something."

"You and Zack are watching the girls? Kim's gonna let you? Doesn't she remember what happened the time the two of you watched Trini's cousins?"

"The girls speak English. And they know me. We'll be fine. You're such a dad. Geez." He grinned at me and I grinned back, buoyed by the unexpected praise.

Just then I heard someone clear their throat and looking over I saw Kim standing on the steps and I swear my jaw dropped. She was wearing this tiny little black dress and she looked incredible. Between the very short hem and the killer high heels it looked like her legs went for miles, miles of smooth, tanned skin that disappeared beneath the dress a quarter of the way up her thigh. The dress was snug and nipped in at the waist to make it look tiny as hell and while it didn't show any cleavage it didn't have to. The long sleeves looked almost incongruous with the short little thing but it was a sexy as hell combination.

I stood there speechless until Jason gave me a slight shove. Abruptly I found my voice again, kind of. "Holy Mother of God" I said in a voice gone very raspy. "You look absolutely amazing Kim." And she actually blushed!

"You don't look so bad yourself Tommy.'

"You ready to go?" I asked offering my arm and together we set off to begin a new era of our lives.

Not long after Kim and I had that first date all hell broke loose, though she managed to forgive me quickly. The six of us had been at my house for Thanksgiving and Kim, Jason, Zack and I were all sitting in the living room after dinner when Taylor came running in with a look of utter terror on her face.

"What's wrong?" I asked coming to my feet followed instantly by the other three.

"The dinosaur is gonna eat Amanda!" She gasped out. "I found a trap door in the kitchen when I threw the ice cream thing away and missed and hit that statue thing. So I went down it even though Amanda told me not to and she followed me and now a dinosaur is gonna eat her!"

Kim glared at me. "You have dinosaurs in your basement Tommy? Smooth move." And before I could assure her Amanda was fine she'd sprinted out of the room with Jason and Zack right behind her. Cursing I followed. I had no idea how Rex, I was assuming it was Rex but maybe not, would react to three panicked adults running in and I wasn't sure I wanted to find out. What I found when I got downstairs however made me stop and laugh. But only for a minute since my former teammates turned to glare at me. But really the sight of Rex standing in front of Amanda like a protective mother bear while Kim, Zack and Jason stood in front of him not sure whether to stare or attack was kind of funny. Kim took a step forward and Rex growled. "Tommy" she snapped. "Call the damn thing off. I want my daughter."

"She's fine Kim. She and Rex are friends. He's protecting her right now." I moved past them and laid a calming hand on his side. "You guys scared him." They relaxed slightly seeing he was offering no threat to Amanda or I. I motioned with my hand and Amanda inched around him and towards her mom. Rex quivered under my hand but stayed where he was. "Rex" I said, drawing his attention to me. "Friends." I said, pointing at Zack, Kim and Jason, using the same method I'd employed to convince the raptors to accept Hayley. "Nice." He let out a growl that sounded both regretful and inquisitive. "Yes, friends. No eat." He chirped and I relaxed. Chirps were good, they signified understanding. "You guys are good," I said, scratching his eye ridge. "He won't eat you now unless you threaten someone he considers his own."

"So I can't kill you?" Zack asked.

"Why do you want to kill me?"

He gestured at the photo on one wall taken of the Dino Thunder team in uniform sans helmets. "Black dude? You didn't have enough colors? You had to steal mine?"

"Shit." I muttered quietly. "Look, it was an accident. All I wanted to do was get the gem away from Mesogog but Zeltrax blasted the rock around it and it bonded with me. There wasn't a thing I could do about it."

"You were a Power Ranger uncle Zack?" Amanda asked at the same time that Taylor said, "you were a Power Ranger daddy?"

All four of us adults groaned. The two girls presented a united front, glaring at us. We looked at each other, panic in our eyes, but there was no way out of this mess. I'd gotten used to the idea that Amanda knew but it was a shock that now Taylor knew. And the other three were dealing with being outed for the first time since Rocky, Aisha, and Adam had found out who we were. Maybe it was only Zack so far but they were smart. They'd question why Jason and Kim hadn't been surprised and then they'd figure out that they had been Rangers as well.

Finally I decided to take control and tell them at least part of the story. The absolute minimum they would let me get away with sounded about right. Dropping onto the couch that had somehow migrated into the lab, probably courtesy of one of the teens, I drew both girls in. "Yes I was a Power Ranger. And a long time ago so were your mom, uncle Zack and uncle Jason. But Taylor you can't tell anyone, ever. Amanda, do you remember why?

"It's against the rules. One of the rules of being a Power Ranger is to never reveal your identity to a non-Ranger."

I smiled. "Very good. Do you agree to this Taylor? Do you promise to never tell anyone that we were Power Rangers?"

"Yes . . . is that why there is a dinosaur in your basement?"

"Yep. That's Rex; he's one of the Raptor Riders. He lives here, and out in the woods. There is also a blue raptor named Nips and a yellow one named Artemis."

"Were Conner and Kira Power Rangers too?" Taylor asked while Amanda took the opportunity to run to the other side of the room to play with Rex who was looking mournful at being left out.

I looked at her in surprise. "Why do you ask?"

"Well Conner wears lots of red and Kira wears lots of yellow. And they have bracelets like yours." She tapped the Dino Morpher on my left wrist. "So were they?"

"Yes, but you can't tell anyone about them either. Got it?"

"Yep."

I called Amanda back over and stood both of them in front of me. "I'm going to set a couple more rules. Amanda already knows some of them but this is for both of you. First, you both already know: never tell anyone who the Power Rangers are. Second, never come down here by yourself. You can only come down with me, Kira or Conner. Not even mommy, uncle Zack or uncle Jason. There are things down here that they don't know about and I don't want any of you to get hurt. Third, do not go into the forest to play with the Raptors." I glared at Amanda who'd done this four days earlier before continuing. "It's a large forest and there's no guarantee that you will find them, or that we'll find you when you get lost. You guys got that?"

They both agreed and I looked up at Kim. "Do you have anything else to add here?"

"No." She still looked a little shocked. "The second two sound perfectly reasonable to me. The first one is the only one I'm really concerned with." She looked at the girls. "That one's really important my darlings. I know it's probably getting boring listening to us tell you this but it's very important that you not tell anyone. More then revealing us," she gestured between the adults, "you put yourselves at risk. That risk is part of why I didn't tell your daddy about you before now. If a bad guy finds out that you know who we are you could be in a lot of danger. I don't want to scare you but I want you to understand. Okay?"

Both girls agreed again, looking a bit perturbed about the idea that a bad guy could hurt them because of their knowledge and I heaved a purely internal sigh of relief. I'd thought of that possibility but I hadn't wanted to say anything because it didn't feel right to me to scare them. I may be their father but that right there seems to preclude frightening my children. And I don't feel I've been around long enough to issue warnings like that. But this was necessary. Hell, all in all I'm glad Kim did it.

Artemis picked that minute to come in, effectively taking the girls' minds off what could happen if they told someone. Watching the two raptors play soon had everyone laughing and I started to relax, thinking I might be off the hook. Oh how wrong I was.

Later that night I was in the kitchen putting away dishes while everyone else watched _The Princess Bride_, requested by the twins, when Jason and Kim cornered me. Neither had murder in their eyes, but they were pretty damn pissed off so I was just a wee bit frightened. Okay a lot terrified since Jason is as good as I am and he can definitely do some damage if he wants to and Kim is a pissed off mom and no slouch at the whole martial arts thing either. My dad always told me it was never good to piss off a mom and to never make them worry about their children's safety. Guess what, he was right.

"Thomas James Oliver." Kim hissed. "What the hell were you thinking?"

Caught off guard I just looked at her for a second. "What?"

"Don't play dumb Tommy. Velociraptors in your basement? How can you even begin to think this is safe for our daughters?"

"I don't" I defended myself while trying to get out of the corner they'd literally backed me into. "In case you didn't notice the entrance to the lab is hidden. And the raptors can't get up here so yeah, I thought it was okay."

"Even after Amanda found it? Something you conveniently forgot to mention I'm sure."

"That was an accident. Accidents happen. I didn't think it would happen again. The odds of that were so long I'd not have bet on them."

"A statue Tommy? Of course accidents are going to happen."

"Not before the twins were wandering around. I don't blame them," I added, seeing the additional fire that had just lit in Kim's eyes. "I'm just saying no one else has hit that thing in the right way to open the entrance."

"Why didn't you tell me Amanda had found out?"

"Because you hadn't told them. I didn't want to tell you she'd figured out and maybe force you into doing something you didn't want to do. I wasn't figuring on it ever becoming a problem."

"How long?" Jason asked.

"How long what?"

"How long has she known?" He clarified.

"Umm since the night Kim and I got into it, so three weeks maybe?"

"And she hasn't told anyone?"

"If she has I haven't heard about it. And Conner and Kira haven't said anything to me if they've heard so I'd say no."

"And the raptors are safe?"

"They won't hurt you or the girls. They're not particularly friendly but they'll leave you alone and they like Amanda."

"What about Taylor?"

"I don't know. I know they won't hurt her. Maybe they'll bond with her the way they have with Amanda if we give it time." I looked between them. "Anything else?"

Kim came forward and wrapped her arms loosely around my waist before dropping her head onto my chest. "I'm sorry for snapping at you Tommy. I just freaked."

"It's okay." I caught Jason's eye. "I should have told you guys. I'm sorry for that."

And just that quickly the friendship that existed between us, friendship that went further then mere friendship, allowed us to forgive and be forgiven. A new beginning.


	11. Epilogue

6 Months Later

I stood in front of the mirror trying to know my tie with fingers gone numb, not an easy task. Cursing softly I pulled it apart and tried once again to get my hands to cooperate. Considering what I had planned for tonight I wanted to look my best but the blasted tie just wouldn't cooperate with my clumsy fingers. As I unraveled the mess I'd made and prepared to try again Kira popped her head in and with a chuckle came over. Grinning she pushed my fingers away and quickly knotted the tie for me. Stepping back she looked over my cloths, twitched the tie straight and finally patted my shoulder.

"You'll do Dr. O. You gonna wear the jacket that goes with that suit?"

"Yeah. Thanks for doing the tie."

"No problem. And get the jacket on so I can make sure it looks okay."

"What would I do without you?"

"Look like a mess of a high school teacher with a Ph.D. Now get the jacket."

Smothering a grin I slipped on the jacket feeling the weight of the box I'd put into the pocket of it earlier laying against me. Turning I waited patiently while Kira subjected me to a quick inspection and tugged and smoothed until the jacket lay perfectly and the tie was perfect and the laces of my shoes fell the right way. Okay that last bit was an exaggeration but that's what it felt like. Finally she stepped back and nodded.

"That's as good as your getting."

"Thanks again." I pulled her in for a quick hug. "And if you and Conner scar my girls tonight I'll have to make sure to do the same to your kids in a few years."

"Does that mean we ought to cancel the strippers?" I glared and she laughed. "I was joking Dr. O. They'll be fine, I promise. And we'll attempt to return them in the same psychological condition."

I sighed just knowing that was the best I could reasonably expect and turned to the dresser to grab my keys and wallet. Sliding them into my pockets I followed Kira out of the room and down to the living room. Entering the room I had to smile at the sight that greeted me. Conner was sitting on the sofa watching some godawful cartoon movie with one twin tucked on each side, his arms wrapped around them. Smirking at the camera in Kira's hand I waited until she'd snapped a few pictures before wandering over and dropping a kiss on each sleepy head.

"Be good for Kira and Conner," I said quietly. "And I'll see you in the morning, okay?" Sleepy murmurs were all I got in the way of assent but it was enough for me. "There's money on the counter for food, make sure they eat." I told Kira. "And I'll see you guys later, thanks again for watching them."

"No problem Dr. O" Conner called quietly. "And good luck."

"Yeah Dr. O, good luck," Kira echoed. With a quick smile for each of them I left to pick Kim up.

As I drove I tried to calm my nerves. It wouldn't do to give anything away because I couldn't act like everything was normal. By the time I got to Kim's house I'd mostly managed to talk myself into a semblance of calm, at least outwardly. Inside I was still freaking out but on the outside I appeared unflappably calm. I know. I checked.

Knocking on the door I wasn't surprised when Jason opened it. Practically every time I'd picked her up for a date over the last six months Jason or one of the girls had answered because she wasn't ready to go. As I settled into the chair that I generally occupied during these sessions Jason shot me a wink.

"Tonight the night man?" He asked as he handed me a glass of water.

"Yeah." I said, my voice hitching only a bit. "Tonight is the night." I let out an unsteady breath. "And I don't mind telling you I'm nervous as hell bro."

"It'll be fine. Can I see it?" I was about to oblige his request when I heard footsteps on the stairs.

"No." I hissed quietly. "She's coming." Jason's eyes widened and he quickly started telling me about the students at his dojo I was supposed to help out with. Apparent the forced normalacy of our conversation didn't appare so to Kim because she acted as if all was normal. We chatted with Jason for another few moments and then left for the restaurant.

When we got there Kim looked at my choice and her jaw dropped, just a bit but enough to make me grin. I'd picked the nicest place in time but hadn't told her where we were going. The Morgan la Faye was designed to bring forth ideas of old world England; an England still ruled by titled aristocrats, people with nothing more to do then spend lots and lots of money. Internationally known for their food, service, and all around experience it's practically impossible to just walk in. You need a reservation, and it helps to get one early. I'd made ours nearly a month ago.

After handing the valet the keys to my jeep Kim and I climbed the steps to enter the elegance of the Morgan. The hushed quiet impressed me, despite the dining room being nearly full the building had been designed to absorb the noise of a restaurant. The clatter of cutlery and chatter of voices was there, but as if from a distance, not the same room. The elegantly dressed hostess took us right to our table tucked into a back corner where we could see without being seen.

A few moments later the waiter appeared and I ordered a bottle of red wine knowing Kim preferred the robust flavor of reds regardless to the type of meat she was eating. While he was gone Kim and I perused the menu and I tried not to wince over the fact that there were no prices listed on the menu. It would be worth it if all went as I was hoping it would. Just as we made our selections the waiter returned and we went through the ceremony of tasting the wine. After he took our orders he disappeared and we were left to ourselves. I wasn't sure what to talk about, I was to nervous to come up with something but fortunately Kim came unwittingly to the rescue. She chattered about the restaurant and then about her day to herself and I wasn't required to answer at all, merely make interested noises at the appropriate places. Instead I indulged myself by watching her as she spoke, the way she moved and gestured.

Our food arrived, prime rib for me and shrimp scampi for Kim, and we had a new topic of conversation, one I had no trouble participating in. I ate slowly, knowing every bite brought me closer to the moment but still eventually the food was gone, my plate was clear. The waiter took our desert orders and our plates and inwardly I seized up. The moment of reckoning had arrived.

Putting my left hand into my pocket and grasping the box tightly I reached across the table with my right hand and cut off her chatter with a gentle squeeze to her hands.

"I have something to say." I said in response to her questioning look. "First of all, I think I forgot to tell you that you look amazing tonight, so let me tell you now Beautiful that you look incredible." I looked away and cleared my throat before looking back into those beautiful brown eyes. "We've not had an easy time of it. Fate seems to both want us together and at the same time apart and we've suffered through her whims. But through it all my devotion to you, my love for you has stayed constant. It's changed, matured, but it's always been there. And since you moved to Reefside I've been happier then I'd been in years. And there's only one thing that will make me happier." I slid off may chair and to one knee beside hers, pulling the box out of my pocket as I did so. "Kimberly Ann Hart, will you do me the honor of making me the happiest I'll ever be and become my wife?" I opened the box to show the ring I'd picked out with the girls that afternoon and waited, my heart pretty much frozen.

I'd apparently shocked her speechless because she just sat there for several moments with tears glistening in her eyes. I started to get nervous and just when I was about to beg for an answer, preferably assent, she smiled at me. "Yes." That was all she said but it was all I needed to hear. Pulling the ring from the box I slipped in onto her finger and then drew her into a long, lingering kiss.

"Thank God" I said when we broke apart. "You scared me for a minute there Beautiful. I was getting ready to kidnap you until you agreed."

"I was stunned." She said with a laugh. "I was not expecting this tonight. I thought this was all of our anniversary," she added.

"Kim, we started dating in November. It's April. What anniversary?"

"Our original one." She blushed and looked down at her ring. "Today, 11 years ago was our first kiss."

My mouth opened soundlessly as I thought furiously and realized she was right. "How 'bout that," I whispered mostly to myself. "This is just a lucky day for us isn't it." I grinned at her. "I've been wanting to do that for a while."

"I've been wanting you to do it for a while." She smiled back.

The waiter came back at that moment and quickly sized up the situation and came to the correct conclusion. After all I was still kneeling beside the table and there was an empty ring box on the table, it wasn't hard to figure out what had just taken place. He sat our plates down with a grin. "Would you like a complimentary bottle of champagne?" He asked. "It is our custom to offer one to celebrate an engagement."

I looked at Kim and she shrugged so I agreed and he left to get it. Taking my seat I dug into my desert while still holding hands with Kim. Life was looking up. I had a commitment from the woman I love, a beautiful family, great friends and a world that currently didn't need saving. What more could an ex-Ranger ask for? I'd met my fate head on and I'd come out on top. We'd come out on top.

The End

A.N: So that's the end. I hope that you enjoyed the whole story, I know I enjoyed writing it. I'd like to say a special thank you to the following people who reviewed every chapter, or just about every chapter. There were others of course but these are the people I could always count on seeing something from, usually something that brightened my day just a bit. And they are: jps1926, GinaStar, kimtom4eva, nikkitan89, and general-joseph-dickson. Thanks a lot guys. And thank you to everybody who reviewed, or who just read and enjoyed.

And just to let you all know. I'm hoping to get the first part of Snippets, my series of short scenes that didn't make it into this story or Learning the Truth, up sometime next week. So keep an eye out for that and I hope to see you there.

Again thanks a lot and "May the Power protect you."

Devil


End file.
